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DANIEL C. COOPER. 



EARLY DAYTON 



WITH IMPORTANT FACTS AND INCIDENTS FROM THE 

FOUNDING OF THE CITY OF DAYTON, OHIO 

TO THE HUNDREDTH ANNIVERSARY 

1796-1896 



BY 

ROBERT W. STEELE 

AND 

MARY DAVIES STEELE 



ILLUSTRATED 




! MAR 2 J 896/ , 

DAYTON, OHIO ^Z" "' ' ^ "^ '--^ (fl/^ 

U. B. publtsfiing £jouse 

W. J. Shuey, Publisher 

1896 



Copyright, 1895 

By Mary Davies Steele 

All rights reserved 



,D^ Se 



TO MY FRIENDS 

^Ir. rniA TOrs. Fmnk (Htmnmx, 

DESIRING TO ASSOCIATE THEIR NAMES WITH MINE IN 

MY LITERARY WORK, WHICH THEY HAVE 

PROMOTED IN VARIOUS WAYS, 

I DEDICATE 

"EARLY DAYTON." 

M. D. S. 



PUBLISHER'S NOTE 



The illustrations contained in this volume have been carefully 
selected, and include a number which have never before been 
published. Among these are portraits of Benjamin Van Cleve, 
Colonel George Newcom and his daughter, Mrs. Jane Wilson, a 
view of Main Street in 1855 from a water-color by John W. Van 
Cleve, and a copy of the original plan of the city as found in 
the records of Hamilton County. For these portraits and the 
view of Main Street the publisher desires to acknowledge his 
obligation to Mrs. Thomas Dover, Mrs. Josiah Gebhart, and Miss 
Martha Holt, in whose possession are the valuable originals, and 
by whose courtesy they are here reproduced. Special thanks 
are due, also, to Mr. J. H. Patterson for the portrait of his grand- 
father. Colonel Robert Patterson, and to Miss S. S. Schenck, 
of Washington, D. C, for that of her father. General Robert 
C. Schenck. 

The pictures of the landing of the first settlers, of Newcom's 
first cabin in 1796, and of Newcom's Tavern in 1799 have been 
reproduced in accordance with the most reliable information 
which could be obtained, and the artist. Miss Rebekah Rogers, 
has succeeded admirably in this difficult wotk. 



PREFACE 



Pekhaps there is no impropriety in saying in a preface to a 
history of Dayton that no one living here who has undertaken 
literary, philanthropic, or other public work can help feeling that 
Dayton is a good place to live in, so ready is the response and 
generous the support and appreciation received. Thus, it seems 
to the student of our history, it has been from the beginning. 
The imagination catches fire and the heart glows with enthusiasm 
over the story of the labors for the public good which the pioneers 
shared, and the respect and admiration which they felt for the 
benefactors of their beloved town. They should be held up as 
examples to our youth, and their biographies used as manuals for 
ti'aining in noble cbaracter. 

One lougs for the power to make the old times and the old 
settlers live again, with their contented but simple and unadorned 
domestic lives, their home-made buckskin or linsey-woolsey 
garments, their limited and cautious business undertakings, con- 
trasting strangely with exciting perils in storms and floods and 
dangerous adventures with wild beasts and Indians — to tell a 
stoiy with the genuine pioneer flavor which descendants of the 
forefathers would read with relish and i)rofit. 

''Early Dayton" is written from the personal and social stand- 
point, and it was not the intention to give a complete and 
consecutive account of the growth of the corporation and the 
business interests of the city. Biographies, with a few necessary 
exceptions, have not been inserted after the pioneer period. Had 
the lives of sons and grandchildren as well as of grandparents 
been written, the history would have filled more than one large 
volume. 

In the spring and summer of 1895, at the request of Mr. H. H. 
Weakley, who has in many practical ways shown his interest in 
Dayton and its writers, I wrote a series of letters on the early his- 
tory of Dayton for the Herald. These letters, which were received 
with many words of commendation both to author and publisher, 



VI PREFACE 

form the basis of the present volume, though large and important 
additions have been made. I was so fortunate as to obtain, 
through conversation and correspondence with descendants of 
pioneers, some facts and anecdotes never before published. 

Free use has been made of the chapters in the "History of 
Dayton" written by my father shortly before his death, and his 
name appears with mine on the title-page. 

When the manuscript of "Early Dayton" was almost finished, 
circumstances rendered it necessary for me to abandon all literary 
work. My friend Miss Harriet M. King, a born student and excel- 
lent writer, generously volunteered to write the concluding two 
chapters (Chapters X and XI) of the book, bringing it down to 
date. It requires literary skill to write a brief and condensed yet 
clear and interesting account of an extended period. Miss King 
has told the story of modern Dayton in a charming manner, and 
those who read her valuable contribution will perceive how greatly 
indebted I am to her. Words fail me when I attempt to express 
my obligation. 

From Mr. E. L. Shuey I received, while my history was being 
written and published, assistance and encouragement of a very 
unusual kind, for wiiich I am deeply grateful. I desire to make 
similar acknowledgments to Mr. W. A. Shuey, who not only 
relieved me of resiionsibility and labor, but secured the accuracy 
and added to the merit of the volume by his careful jiroof-reading 
and general supervision, his elaborate index and table of contents, 
and the excellent illustrations M'hieh he procured ; but, above all, 
by his interesting and useful "Chronological Record" and "His- 
torical and Statistical Tables" for ready reference, which cover the 
history and progress of this region from 1749 to 1896. If all pub- 
lishers were like mine, societies for the protection of authors would 
never have existed. I cannot let slip the oi^portuuity to express my 
appreciation of the interest Mr. W. L. Bloeher has shown in secur- 
ing the mechanical perfection of various literary productions of 
mine. I am under obligations to the United Brethren Publishing 
House for their courtesy in allowing me the unrestricted use of the 
"History of Daji^on," of which they own the copyright. 

Mary Da vies Steele. 
Dayton, Ohio, February 1, 1896. 



CONTENTS 



CHAPTER I 

THE SETTLEMENT 

PAGB 

Gist's Visit to the Miami Valley in 1751 — Valuable Timber— Well 
Watered— Wild Animals — Natural Meadows — A Most Delightful 
•Country — Fertility and Beauty — Kentuekians Long to Dispossess 
the Indians— The Valley Called the Miami Slaughter-House — Dayton 
on the Site of the Indian Hunting-Ground — A Favorite Rendezvous 
for Indian Hunting and War Parties— General George Rogers Clark's 
Expedition to Ohio— Clark's Second Expedition — Skirmish on Site 
of Dayton — Logan's Campaign in 1786 — Second Skirmish on Site of 
Dayton — Venice on Site of Dayton — Venice Abandoned — General 
Wayne's Campaign — Treaty of Peace — Site of Dayton Purchased 
from Symmes— Original Proprietors of Dayton — Survey of the Pur- 
chase — D. C. Cooper Cuts a Road — Dayton Laid Out and Named — 
Streets Named — Lottery Held on Site of Town — Lots and Inlots 
Donated to Settlers Drawn — Settlers Permitted to Purchase One 
Hundred and Sixty Acres at a French Crown per Acre — Names of 
Original Settlers of Dayton — Three Parties Leave Cincinnati in 
March, 1796 — Hamer's Party Travels in a Two-Horse W^agon — New- 
corn's Party Makes the Journey on Horseback — Thompson's Party 
Ascend the Miami in a Pirogue— Description of the Voyage — Poling 
Up Stream — Beauty of the Landscape — Supper in the Miami Woods 
— Names of the Passengers in the Pirogue — Ten Days from Cincinnati 
to Dayton — Mrs. Thompson the First to Land — Indians Encamped 
at Dayton — Land at Head of St. Clair Sti'eet — The Uninhabited 
Forest All that Welcomed Them — Encouraging Indications — Tempo- 
rary Protection— Log Cabins — Wholly Dependent on Each Other's 
Society — Monument Avenue Cleared — Town Covered with Hazelnut 
Thickets — Dr. Elliott's Purple Silk Ooat — Dayton Hard to Find by the 
Traveler — Ague — Communal Corn-Ficld — Mary Van Cleve — Indians 
Attack the Thompson Cabin, 17 

CHAPTER n 

EARLY SETTLERS 

Daniel C. Cooper— Newcom's Tavern — Cooper Park — Mr. Cooper Be- 
comes Titular Proprietor of the Town — His Improvements and Liber- 
ality—Indians Frequent Visitors — Playing Marbles at Midnight- 
Robert Edgar— First Store in Dayton — Henry Brown — First Flatboat 

vii 



11 CONTENTS 

— Furniture of the Nine Cabins Constituting Dayton — Food — Game 

— Hogs Introduced— Fish— Blockhouse for Defense Against Indians 
Built at Dayton — First School in Dayton — Benjamin Van Cleve's 
Autobiography — Early Life of Van Cleve— Battle of Monmouth — 
Wagon Journey of the Van Cleves Across the Mountains— Murder 
of John Van Cleve at Cincinnati tay Indians — Benjamin Van Cleve 
Supports His Father's Family — Self-Educated— Employed in Quar- 
termaster's Department of Western Army — St. Clair's Defeat — Em- 
ployed in Flatboating by Army Contractors — In Charge of Army 
Horses and Cattle — Sent Express to Philadelphia by Quartermas- 
ter's Department — Sent by General Knox from Philadelphia to 
Conduct Pair of Horses to Indian Chief Brant — Quarrel with Gen- 
eral Knox — Meets Brant in New York — Studious Life After Return 
to Philadelphia— Sent West with Dispatches to General Wayne — 
Journey by Boat from Wheeling, Accompanied by Officers and 
Recruits — Cheated Out of His Pay — Flatboating to Kentucky — 
Sutler at Fort Greenville — Sent by Army Contractor to Fort Massac 
with Two Boats Loaded with Provisions — Adventure at Fort Massac 
with Major, Called "King," Doyle — Returning, Visits Red Banks, a 
Resort of Thieves and Cutthroats — Drives Cattle to Greenville, Fort 
Wayne, and Fort Washington — Accompanies Captain Dunlap to 
Make the Survey of the Dayton Settlement — Adventures as a Sur- 
veyor — Keeps Field-Notes During Rain on Blocks of Wood — Settles 

in Dayton — Surveying, Writing, and Farming-Trials, - - - - 29 



CHAPTER III 

PIONEER IvIFE 

Two Houses on Main Street in 1799 — Small Size of Cabins— Description 
by W. C. Howells of a Home of the Period — Newcom's Tavern, First 
House in Dayton, Chinked with Mortar — Corner Monument Avenue 
and Main Street the Business Center of Dayton — First White Child 
Born in Dayton — Biography of Colonel Newcom — Wearisome Journey 
Through the Woods to Dayton — Camping at Night — Newcom's Tavern 
Described — Relics— Old Clock and Brass Candlestick — First County 
Court Held at Tavern — Money Scarce — Convicted Persons Fined a 
Deerskin or a Bushel of Corn — Sentenced to Thirty-Nine Lashes on 
Bare Back — SherifT Newcom's Primitive Prison a Corn-Crib and a 
Dry Well — Anecdotes of Visits of Troublesome Indians to the Tav- 
ern — Colonel Newcom Introduces Apples — First Wedding in Dayton 
— Benjamin Van Cleve's Characteristic Account of the Event — Mr. 
Van Cleve's Hospitality to Strangers — Usefulness to the New Town — 
W. C. Howells's Description of Social Life in Pioneer Times — Fire- 
Hunting on the Miami — Women Helped Their Husbands in the 
Fields — Dependent on the Husband's aild Father's Gun for Meals- 
Pelts and Bear's Oil Articles of Merchandise — Skins Used for Clothes, 
Moccasins, Rugs, and Coverlets — Business Conducted by Barter — 
Ginseng, Peltries, Beeswax, etc.. Used as Money — Cut-Monej^ or 
Sharp Shins— Charges Made in Pounds, Shillings, and Pence— Wild 
Animals — First Mill, a Corn-Cracker, Built by D. C. Cooper— Log 
Meeting-House Built— Dayton First Governed Wliolly by County 
Commissioners and Township Assessors— D. C. Cooper Justice of the 



CONTENTS IX 

Peace— Early Marriages — Petition Presented to Congress by Settlers 
— The Town Nearly Dies Out— D. C. Cooper, Titular Proprietor, Resus- 
citates It— Town Plats — Basis of Titles — Ohio a State— Montgomery 
Separated from Hamilton County— Population Increases — First Elec- 
tion—First County Court — Mr. Cooper Builds Saw- and Grist-Mills 
— Levees — New Graveyard — Log-Cabin Meeting-House Sold — New 
First Presbyterian Church — Mr. Cooper's Death— First Jail, - - - 51 



CHAPTER IV 

1800- 1805 

John W. Van Cleve— First White Male Child Born in Dayton— Friend- 
ship for R. W. Steele — Biographies of Van Cleve by R. W. Steele— 
Minutes Kept and Societies Founded by Van Cleve — His Exquisite 
Handwriting — His Versatility and Thoroughness — Proficiency in 
Ancient and Modern Languages — Teaches Latin at College Before 
Graduation — Talent for Mathematics — Translations — Water-Color 
Pictures of Wild Flowers — A True Book-Lover— Studies Law — Edits 
the Dayton Joui-nal — In the Drug Business — Devotes Himself to 
Labors for the Public Good — A Civil Engineer— An Engraver — Tal- 
ent for Painting — Plays Several Musical Instruments — A Botanist 
and Geologist — To Him We Owe Woodland Cemetery — Love of 
Plants and Trees — Plants the Levees with Trees — Surrounds the 
Court-House with Elms — Fondness for Children— Delightful Picnics 
— His Great Size — Interest in Schools and Libraries — Founder and 
Supporter of Dayton Library Association— Free Lectures on Scien- 
tific, Historical, or Literary Subjects — AfTection and Pride with 
Which He was Regarded — Devotion to His Kindred — Friendship 
Between Him and His Father — Public Offices in Town That He Held 
— His Map of Dayton — Writes Songs and Designs and Engraves Illus- 
trations for the Log Cabin — The Whig Glee Club Trained by Professor 
Turpin — Mr. Van Cleve and Others Accompany the Club to the 
Columbus Convention — His Death— His Unbending Integrity and 
Scrupulous Honesty — Council Passes Resolutions of Respect— Dr. T. 
E. Thomas's Funeral Oration — Isaac Spining— William King— The 
Osborns— John H. Williams— The First Postoflice in Dayton— Mail- 
Routes— Post- Rider to Urbana — Trials of Benjamin Van Cleve, First 
Postmaster— His Successor, George S. Houston— Joseph Peirce— 
Joseph H. Crane— Colonel Robert Patterson — Schools — Dayton In- 
corporated —McCuUum's Tavern— Social Library Society, - - - 67 



CHAPTER V 

1S05-1809 

First Disastrous Flood — Emigrants from New Jersej^- Charles Russell 
Greene — Ferries — First Court-House — First Newspaper — First Brick 
Stores— James Steele — Robert W. Steele — Dayton Academy— James 
Hanna— John Folkerth — First Teachers in the Academy— William 
M. Smith — James H. Mitchell — E. E. Barney — Trustees of Academy 
in 1833 — Collins Wight — Milo G. Williams — Transfer of Academy to 



CONTENTS 

Board of Education — Henry Baeun — Luther Bruen — Antislavery 
Excitement — Arrest and Suicide of a Fugitive Slave — Colored People 
Leave Dayton for Hayti — A Colonization Society Formed — Anti- 
slavery Society — Union Meeting-House, Principally Built by Luther 
Bruen— Dr. Biruey and Mr. Rankin Mobbed — Dr. H. Jewett— Dr. 
John Steele — Advertisement of a Runaway Slave — Jonathan Harsh- 
man — First Brick Residence — The Cannon "Mad Anthony " — Rev. 
Janies Welsh, M.D. — Dr. John Elliott — Town Prospering — No Care 
Taken of Streets or Walks — Grimes's Tavern — Alexander Grimes 
— Reid's Inn — Colonel Reid — Second Newspaper, the Repei-tory — 
Advertisements in the Repertory — M.aAX'hew Patton— Abram Darst 
— Pioneer Women, 



CHAPTER VI 

1809- I8I2 

William Eaker — George W. Smith — Roads — Journeys to the East — 
Goods Brought by Conestoga Wagons and Broadhorns toOhio— Pack- 
Horses Moving Up Main Street— Groceries from New Orleans by Keel- 
Boats — A Voyage from New Orleans Described — Country Stores — 
Drinking Customs — Flatboating South — Excitement When the 
Fleets of Boats Left Dayton— Arrival of a Large Keel-Boat — Fourth 
of July from 1809 to 1840- The First Drug-Store — Indians and Wild 
Animals Both Troublesome — Rewards for Wolf-Scalps —New Side- 
walks and Ditches or Gutters— O/i/o Ce»i<inrf— Earthquakes— William 
Huffman — Ohio Militia Encamped at Dayton — Business Beginning 
of 1812— Horatio G. Phillips — J. D. Phillips — Obadiah B. Conover, - 101 



CHAPTER VH 

1S12-1816 

Dr. John Steele — 1812 and 1813 Years of Excitement — Dread of Indians — 
Colonel Johnston's Control of the Indians — Madison Orders Out Ohio 
Militia— Battalion Muster at Dayton — Militia Bivouac Without 
Tents at Cooper Park — Governor Meigs Arrives— Issues a Call to 
Citizens for Blankets — General Gano and General Cass Arrive — 
Three Regiments of Infantry Formed — Captain William Van Cleve — 
General Hull Arrives — Governor Meigs Surrenders Command to Gen- 
eral Hull — The Governor and General Review the Troops — The Three 
Regiments March Across Mad River to Camp Meigs — Leave Camp 
Meigs for Detroit— Munger's Brigade Ordered Here to Garrison the 
Town — Hull's Surrender — Consternation of the People — Handbills 
Issued at Dayton Calling for Volunteers — Captain Steele's Company — 
Kentucky Troops Arrive Here — Harrison Calls for Volunteers and 
Horses — Dayton Ladies Make One Thousand Eight Hundred Shirts for 
Soldiers — Expedition Against Indians Near Muncietown — Defeated . 
Soldiers Briiig Wounded to Dayton —Hospital on Court-House Corner 
— War— Jerome Holt — War Ended — Dayton Companies Welcomed 
Home— First Dayton Bank — O7iio Centinel—^X.one Jail — Mr. For- 
rer's Reminiscences of Dayton in 1814— First Methodist Church — 



CONTENTS xi 

William Hamer — Aaron Baker — Ohio Republican — Ohio Watchman 
— Medical Societies — Dr. Job Haines — Female Charitable and Bible 
Society — First Market-House — Moral Society — Associated Baclielors 
—First Theater, - 115 



CHAPTER VIII 

1816-1835 

New Brick Court-House of 1817— Ferries— First Bridges— Sabbath-School 
Association — Sunday-School Society — Game Abundant — Flights of 
Wild Pigeons — Migrations of Squirrels — Fish — Stage-Coaches — St. 
Thomas Episcopal Church — Christ Episcopal Church — Shows— "Vol- 
unteer Fire Department, 1820 to 1863 — Leading Citizens Active Mem- 
bers — Feuds Between Rival Engine Companies — Financial Depression, 
1820 to 1822 — Fever— Lancasterian School — Francis Glass — Oricliron 
Newspaper — Miami Republican and Dayton Advertiser — George B. Holt 

— Consolidation of TTafcftwan and Republican — 'Da.yion Journcd — Con- 
tribution to the Greek Cause — James Perrine, First Insurance Agent 

— First Baptist Church Built — Letter from Dayton in 1827 — Canal 
Agitation— Dinner and Reception to De Witt Clinton — First Canal- 
Boat Arrives — Enthusiasm of the People — Extension of Canal by 
Cooper Estate — Law Providing for Election of Mayor— Town Divided 
into Wards — Temperance Society — New Market-House— Rivalry 
Between Dayton and Cabintown — Private Schools-^- Manual-Train- 
ing School — Seely's Basin — Peasley's Garden — Miniature Locomotive 
and Car Exhibited in Methodist Church — Daytonians Take Their 
First Railroad Ride— Seneca Indians Camp at Dayton — First Public 
Schools — School-Directors — Steele's Dam — General R. C. Schenck — 
Political Excitement — Council Cuts Down a Jackson Pole — Cholera 
in 1832 and 1833— Silk Manufactory — The Dayton Lyceum — Mechan- 
ics' Institute— Six Libraries in Dayton — Eighth of January Barbecue 
—Town Watchmen — Lafayette Commemorative Services, - - -135 



CHAPTER IX 

1S36-1840 

Measures Proposed for Improving the Town in 1&36— Proceedings of 
Council— Public Meeting to Sustain Council — Cooper Park — Dayton 
Business Men in 1836— Educational Convention in 1836— Shinplasters 
— Thomas Morrison — Zoological Museum — William Jennison — First 
Railroad — Turnpikes — First Public-School Buildings — Opposition to 
Public Schools — Processions of School Children and Other Efforts to 
Excite an Interest in Public Schools — Samuel Forrer Takes Charge 
of Turnpikes — His Biography — Midnight Markets— Cooper Hy- 
draulic—Change of Channel of Mad River — First County Fair — 
Morus Multicaidis Excitement— Dayton Carpet Manufactory — Num- 
ber of Buildings Erected in 1839 — Log Cabin Newspaper— Harrison 
Convention — Numbers in Attendance — Hospitality of Dayton Peo- 
ple-Banners Presented, 163 



Xli CONTi:XTS 

ClIAPTlvR X 

PAVTOX FROM 1S40 TO 1S96 

The IJeginning of "the Forties"— Distinguished Visitors— Schools — 
Oregon — West Duyton — Banks- Police Department — New Jail and 
Court-llouse — Cemeteries — Daytou Bar— General Robert C. Schenck 

— Clement L. Vallandigham — Thomas Brown — Prominent Physi- 
cians — Public liibrary — Churches — Floods' — Cholera — The Mexican 
War— First Telegraph Message— Gas and Electric Light— Railroads- 
Street-Railroads- Fire Department— Water- Works — Dayton Orphan 
Asylum — Young Men's Christian Association — Woman's Cliristian 
Association — Young Women's I^eague — St. Elizabeth Hospital — Prot- 
estant Deaconess Hospital — Musical Societies— Literary Clubs — Im- 
provements — Manufacturing and Mercantile Interests — Natural Gas 

— Newspapers — Periodicals — David Stout — El>enezer Thresher— Val- 
entine Winters— Frederick Gcbhart— Robert W. Steele, - - - - IS3 

CHAPTKR XI 

IWYTON IX TIIK CIVIL WAR 

The Opening of the War— Fall of Sumter— Recruiting— Dayton Light 
Guards — Light xVrtillei'y- Lafayette Guards — Departure of Troops — 
-Anderson Guards— Dayton Ritlenien — Zouave Rangers — Buckeye 
Guard— State Guard — Camp Corwin — Camp Dayton — P'amilies of 
Soldiers Cared For — Advance of Kirby Smith — R. C. Schenck Elected 
to Congress — Union League Formed — Arrest of Vallandigham^ 
Journet Oftice Burned — Morgan's Raid — Colonel King — JJmpirc Office 
Mobbed — Procession of Wood- Wagons — Women's Work for the Sol- 
diers—The Home-Guard — Return of Companies A and E — Another 
Call for Troops— Last Draft of the War— Lee's Surrender— Assassin- 
ation of Lincoln — Admiral Schenck — Kear-Admiral Greer — Pay- 
master McDaniel — National Military Home- Soldiers' Monument, - 202 

Colonel Israel Lvi>i.ow, 213 

HISTORICAL AXl) STATISTICAL TABLES 

XiOCATiox and Area —I'opulatiou — City (-iovernment ;uid Institutions — 
Mayor— Board of City Att'airs — City Council — Board of Elections 

— Board of Equalization — Miscellaneous — PuV^lic Schools — Public 
Library — Police Department — Work - House — Fire Department — 
Water -Works — Board of Health — City Infirmary— JNIarkets-Tax 
Commission —Taxes for 1894-91!— Bonded Debt —Periodicals— Churches 

— Churcli and Private Schools — Benevolent and Charitable Institu- 
tions—Literary and Musical Societies— Political CluV>s — Social, 
Cycling, Gymnastic, and Other Clubs — ililitary Companies— Street- 
Rail ways— Street Improvements — Comniereial and Industrial — Post- 
office Statistics, lS9o— Partial Enumeration of Mercantile, Manufac- 
turing, and Other Concerns— Chronological Record, - - - '221 

BiBLlOOKAPHY, 2;>S 

Ikpex, - - - - 241 



ILLUSTRATIONS 



PORTRAITS. 
JD. C. Cooper, ........ Frontis23ieee 

Opposite Pago 

John Cleves Symmes, .... ... 17 

General George Rogers Clauk, - - - 20 

General Anthony Wayne, .... 20 

Governor Arthur St. Clair, . . _ .20 

(iENERAL James Wilkinson, . . _ 20 

General Jonathan Dayton, - . . . .21 

J5KNJAMIN Van Cleve, . . . . . 4g 

Colonel George New(,'om, .... - .52 

Mrs. Jane Newcom Wilson, ..... 00 

Nathaniel Wilson, ------ .01 

Colonel Robert Patterson, - . . . S4 

Robert W. Steele, ..... . 02 

General Robert C. Schenck, - . . - . 20-1 

MISCELLANEOUS. 

17!)(i-I8iM. 

The Landing of the First Settlers, - - - - - -28 

Original Plan of Dayton, ...... 20 

Newcom's First Log Cabin, Built tn 17!m;, - - - 32 

Newcom's Tavern IN 1799, - .... 5;{ 

Plan of Dayton in 1805, -.-..... 04 

Plan of Dayton in 1809, - - - - -- - -05 

The Old Academy, lS33-ia57, • - Si.S 

First Presbyterian Church, is;!<)-l8(i7, - - luo 
Main Street in 1810, .-.-..•.-- loi 

First and Ludlow Strekts in isio, ..-.-- 108 

East Side op Main Street, Between Second and Thtkd, in- 1855, - 109 

Central High School, 1857-189;>, - - - - no 

Flood of 1866, as Seen from the He.vd ok M.mn Street, - 117 

NiowcoM's Tavern IN 1891, - ..... vzi 

xiii 



SIV ILLUSTRATIONS 

l.S9ti. 

Opposite Pw^ 

The Landing-Place and Newcom's Tavekn in January, 1896, - 125 

County Buildings, --------- 132 

Government Building and Postoffice, . - . . - 1,33 

City Buildings, .--.---.- ho 

Public Library and Cooper Park, - - - - - - 141 

Steele High School, -------- hs 

Central District School, - - - - - - - - 149 

Main Street, Looking North from Below Fourth, - - - 156 

riiiRD Street, Looking East from Main, - - - - - 157 

<<'iFTH Street, Looking East from Main, ----- 164 

Young Men's Christian Association BuiLDiNf;, - - - - 172 

Woman's Christian Association Building, . . - - 17:5 

Protestant Deaconess Hospital, - - - - - - - 18U 

St. Elizabeth Hospital, --------181 

First Presbyterian Church, - - - - - - - 188 

Third Street Presbyterian Church, ----- 189 

Grace Methodist Church, - - - - - - - - 192 

Sacred Heart Roman Catholic Church, ----- 193 

Synagogue, ----------- 196 

Entrance to Woodland Cemetery, ------ 197 

The Soldiers' Monument, and Apartment Hot'se on the Site of 

Newcom's Tavern, - - - . . - - . 208 

National Military Home, - - - - - - - - 209 



TAILPIECES. 

Paze 

Fireplace AND Spinning -Wheel, - - - ■ - - 28 

Blockhouse, - - - - . - - - 50 

Hearth, - . - ... CO 



MAPS. 

Map OF Dayton in 1.s;!9, - - - - - - - - 250 

Map of Davton in 1895^ - . - . - . . - - 254 

Map of Ohio, ...-.-.--. 257 



EARLY DAYTON 




JOHN CI^EVKS SYMMES. 



EARLY DAYTON 



CHAPTER 1 

THE SETTLEMENT 

Gist's Visit to the Miami Valley in 1751— Valuable Timber— Well Watered- 
Wild Animals— Natural Meadows — A Most Delightful Country — Fertil- 
ity and Beauty — Kentuckians Long to Dispossess the Indians — The Valley 
Called the Miami Slaughter-House — Dayton on the Site of the Indian 
Huntlng-Ground— A Favorite Rendezvous for Indian Hunting and 
War Parties — General George Rogers Clark's Expedition to Ohio— Clark's 
Second Expedition — Skirmish on Site of Dayton — Logan's Campaign in 
1786— Second Skirmish on Site of Dayton — Venice on Site of Dayton — 
Venice Abandoned — General Wayne's Campaign — Treaty of Peace — Site 
of Dayton Purchased from Symmes — Original Proprietors of Dayton — 
Survey of the Purchase — D. C. Cooper Cuts a Road — Dayton Laid Out 
and Named — Streets Named — Lottery Held on Site of Town — Lots and 
Inlots Donated to Settlers Drawn — Settlers Permitted to Purchase One 
Hundred and Sixty Acres at a French Crown per Acre — Names of Original 
Settlers of Dayton— Three Parties Leave Cincinnati in March, 1796— 
Hamer's Party Travels in a Two-Horse Wagon — Newcom's Party Makes 
the Journey on Horseback — Thompson's Party Ascend the Miami in a 
Pirogue — Description of the Voyage — Poling Up Stream — Beauty of the 
Landscape — Supper in the Miami Woods — Names of the Passengers in 
the Pirogue — Ten Days from Cincinnati to Dayton — Mrs. Thompson the 
First to Land — Indians Encamped at Dayton— Land at Head of St. Clair 
Street— The Uninhabited Forest All that Welcomed Them — Encouraging 
Indications — Temporary Protection — Log Cabins— Wholly Dependent on 
Each Other's Society — Monument Avenue Cleared — Town Covered by 
Hazelnut Thickets — Dr. Elliott's Purple Silk Coat — Dayton Hard to Find 
by the Traveler— Ague — Communal Corn-Field — Mary Van Cleve — 
Indians Attack the Thompson Cabin. 

The report of the French Major Celoron de Bienville, who, 
in August, 1749, ascended the La Roche or Big Miami River in 
bateaux to visit the Twightwee villages at Piqua, has been 
preserved ; but Gist, the agent of the Virginians who formed the 
Ohio Land Company, was probably the first person who wrote 
a description in English of the region surrounding Dayton. 
Gist visited the Twightwee or Miami villages in 1751. He was 

2 17 



l8 EARLY DAYTON 

delighted with the fertile and well-watered land, with its large 
oak, walnut, maple, ash, wild cherry, and other trees. The 
country, he says, abounded "with turkeys, deer, elk, and most 
sorts of game, particularly buffaloes, thirty or forty of which 
are frequently seen feeding in one meadow ; in short, it wants 
nothing but cultivation to make it a most delightful country. 
The land upon the Great Miami is very rich, level, and well 
timbered — some of the finest meadows that can be. The grass 
here grows to a great height on the clear fields, of which there 
are a great number, and the bottoms are full of white clover, 
wild rye, and blue grass." A number of white traders were 
living at the Miami villages and in one of their houses Gist 
lodged. It is stated by pioneer writers that buffaloes and elk 
disappeared from Ohio about the year 1795. 

Long before any permanent settlement was made in the 
Miami Valley, its beauty and fertility were known by the people 
beyond the Alleghanies and the inhabitants of Kentucky, who 
considered it an "earthly paradise," and repeated efforts were 
made to get possession of it. These efforts led to retaliation on 
the part of the Indians, who resented the attempts to dispossess 
them of their lands, and the continuous raids back and forth 
across the Ohio River to gain or keep possession of the valley 
caused it to be called, until the close of the eighteenth century, 
the "Miami slaughter-house." The wild animals — wolves, 
wildcats, bears, panthers, foxes — which roamed through the 
valley now so peaceful and prosperous were scarcely more brutal 
and fierce than the inhabitants of the infrequent villages scat- 
tered along the borders of the Miami hunting-grounds — the 
terrible " Indian country," the abode of cruelty and death, which 
the imagination of trembling women in far-distant blockhouses 
invested with all the horrors of a veritable hell on earth. The 
pioneers of Kentucky looked with jealous and envious eyes on 
this great Indian game preserve. The wily and suspicious 
savages did their best to exclude them ; but, though they ventured 
over here at the risk of being burned, they frequently came alone 
or in small parties to hunt or rescue some friend captured in a 
raid into Kentucky by the Indians. Before the Miami Valley 
had ever been visited by whites, the country lying between the 
Great and Little Miamis, and bounded on the south by the Ohio 
and on the north by Mad River, was used only as a hunting- 
ground. Dayton lies just within this former immense gaiue pre- 



the; settlement 19 

serve. Probably no wigwam has been built and no Indians have 
lived on the site of Dayton since 1700. The site of Dayton was 
a favorite rendezvous for Indian hunters or warriors. Parties, 
came down the Miami in canoes, and, having formed a camp 
of supplies at the mouth of Mad River in charge of squaws, set 
out on their raids or hunts. 

In the summer of 1780, General George Rogers Clark led an 
expedition of experienced Indian fighters to Ohio against the 
Shawnees near Xenia and Springfield. He defeated the Indians. 
By this victory the homes, crops, and other property of about 
four thousand Shawnees were destroyed, and for some time they 
were wholly engaged in rebuilding their wigwams, and in hunt- 
ing and fishing to obtain food for their families. Among the 
officers who held command under Clark was Colonel Robert 
Patterson, from 1804 till 1827 a citizen of Dayton. 

Finding that the Indians were recovering from their defeat of 
1780, Clark, in the fall of 1782, led a second expedition of one 
thousand Kentuckians to Ohio. They met with no resistance 
till the}'- reached the mouth of Mad River, on the 9th of 
November, where they found a small party of Indians stationed 
to prevent their crossing the stream. A skirmish on the site of 
Dayton followed, in which the Kentuckians were victorious. 
They spent the night here, and then proceeded to Upper Piqua, 
on the Great Miami. Having destroyed Upper Piqua, they went 
on to the trading-station of Laramie, and plundered and burned 
the store and destroyed the Indians' wigwams and crops. These 
two expeditions, or campaigns, were campaigns of the Revolu- 
tion, as the Indians were friendly to the British. 

For some time after the peace with Great Britain in 1783, the 
Indians, who had met with many reverses and losses during the 
Revolution, did not trouble the settlements as much as formerly, 
but about 1785 they recommenced hostilities, and in 1786 a force 
commanded by Colonel Logan was sent against the Wabash and 
Mad River villages. One of the brigades was commanded by 
Colonel Robert Patterson. They harried and ruined the Indian 
country, and destroyed eight towns and the crops and vegetables, 
taking a large number of horses, and leaving the Indians in a 
state of destitution and starvation from which it took them 
nearly a year to recover. The Kentuckians returned to the Ohio 
by the way of Mad River, and at the mouth of the river found a 
party of Indians on guard. With them was Tecumseh, at this 



20 EARLY DAYTON 

time about fourteen years of age. Having, after some sliglit 
resistance, beaten the Indians and driven them up Mad River 
and gained the second battle or skirmish between whites and 
Indians fought on the site of Da3'ton, the}^ camjDcd for the night. 
Being well supplied with provisions taken from the captured 
villages, they remained here for two or three days examining 
land with a view to recommending a settlement in this neighbor- 
hood. Having driven the Indians for the time being out of the 
Miami Valley, the Kentuckians, when they departed, left an 
uninhabited country behind them. 

In 1789 Major Benjamin Stites, John Stites Gano, and William 
Goforth formed plans for a settlement to be named Venice, at the 
mouth of the Tiber, as they called Mad River. The site of the 
proposed city lay within the seventh range of townships, which 
they agreed to purchase from John Cleves Symmes for eighty- 
three cents an acre. The deed was executed and recorded, and 
the town of Venice, with its two principal streets crossing each 
other at right angles and the position of houses and squares 
indicated in the four quarters outlined b}' the streets, was laid 
out on paper. But Indian troubles and Symmes' s misunderstand- 
ing with the Government forced them to abandon the project, and 
"we escaped being Venetians." 

In the spring of 1793 General Wayne was made commander of 
the Western army. His victories over the Indians on June 30 
and 31 and August 30, 1794, ended four years of Indian war. 
August 3, 1795, a treaty of peace was concluded at Greenville, 
which was regarded as securing the safety of settlers in the 
Indian countrj'. 

Aixgu-st 20, 1795, seventeen da5'S after the treaty was signed, a 
party of gentlemen contracted for the purchase of the seventh 
and eighth ranges between Mad River and the Little INIiami from 
John Cleves S3anmes, a soldier of the Revolutionary army, who, 
encouraged by the success of the Ohio Company, had, after much 
negotiation, obtained from Congress a grant for the purchase of 
one million acres between the two Miamis. The purchasers 
of the seventh and eighth ranges were General Arthur St. 
Clair, Governor of the Northwest Territory ; General Jonathan 
Dayton, afterward Senator from New Jersey ; General James 
Wilkinson, of Wayne's army, and Colonel Israel Ludlow, from 
Long Hill, Morris County, New Jersey. On the 21st of Sep- 
tember two parties of surveyors set out, one led b}^ Daniel C. 





From the ** National Cyclopedia of American Biography/ 
by permission of James T. ^Vhite & Co. 



From the "National Cyclopedia of American Biography,' 
by permission of James T. White & Co. 







From the '* Cyclopedia of American Biography.* 
Copyright, 1888, by D Appleton k Co. 




From the <* Cyclopedia of American Biography.' 
Copyright, 1889, by I? Appleton & Co. 







coy , 



From the "National Cjclopedia of American Biography," by permiasiou of 
James T. White & Co. 



THE SETTLEMENT 21 

Cooper to survey and mark a road and cut out some of the brush, 
and the other led by Captain Jolm Dunlap, which was to run the 
boundaries of the purchase. On the ist of November the sur- 
veyors returned to Mad River, and Israel Ludlow laid out the 
town, which he named for General Dayton. Three streets were 
named St. Clair, Wilkinson, and Ludlow for the proprietors. 
Another was called, as a sort of compromise, Jefferson, as the 
proprietors were Federalists. Daj'ton was founded by Revolu- 
tionary officers, and bears their names. It is also linked to the 
War of 1812 by a street called for Commodore Perry. For many 
j^ears Perry Street was down on the maps of the town as Cherry 
Lane. 

On November i a lottery was held, and each one present drew 
lots for himself or others who intended to settle in the new 
town. Each of the settlers received a donation of an inlot and 
an outlot. In addition, each of them had the privilege of pur- 
chasing one hundred and sixty acres at a French crown, or about 
one dollar and thirteen cents, per acre. The proprietors hoped 
by offering these inducements to attract settlers to the place. 

Forty-six men had agreed to remove from Cincinnati to Day- 
ton, but only nineteen came. The following men and about 
seventeen women and children were the original settlers of 
Dayton : William Hamer, Solomon Hamer, Thomas Hamer, 
George Newcom, William Newcom, Abraham Glassmire, Thomas 
Davis, John Davis, John Dorough, William Chenoweth, James 
Morris, Daniel Ferrell, Samuel Thompson, Benjamin Van Cleve, 
James McClure, John McClure, William Gahagan, Solomon 
Goss, William Van Cleve. 

In March, 1796, they left Cincinnati in three parties, led 
b> William Hamer, George Newcom, and Samuel Thompson. 
Hauler's party was the first to start ; the other two companies 
left on Monday, March 21, one by land the other by water. 
Hauler's party came in a two-horse wagon over the road 
begun, but only partialh' cut through the woods, by Cooper in 
the fall of 1795. The company consisted of I\Ir. and Mrs. Wil- 
liam Hamer and their children Solomon, Thomas, Nancy, Eliza- 
beth, Sarah, and Polly, and Jonat'mn and Edward Mercer. They 
were delayed, and had a long, cold, and uncomfortable journey. 

In the other party that traveled by land were Mr. and Mrs. 
George Newcom and their brother William, James Morris, John 
Dorough and family, Daniel Ferrell and famil}^ Solomon Goss 



22 EARLY DAYTON 

and famil}^ John Davis, Abraham Glassniire, and William Van 
Cleve, who drove Mr. Thompson's cow, which was with the 
cattle belonging to the Newcom division of the colonists. 

Thompson's part}' were steered and poled by Benjamin Van 
Cleve and William Gahagan in a large pirogue down the Ohio 
to the Miami and up that stream to the mouth of Mad River. A 
pirogue was a long, narrow boat of light draft and partly enclosed 
and roofed. It required much skill and muscular strength to 
pole a boat up stream for many miles. The men, each provided 
with a pole with a heavy socket, were placed on either side 
of the boat. They "set their poles near the head of the boat 
and bringing the end of the pole to their shoulders, with their 
bodies bent, walked slowly down the running board to the stern, 
returning at a quick pace to the bow for a new set." 

The Miami in 1796 wound through an almost wholly uninhab- 
ited wilderness. Such a journe}-, it seems to us, looking back 
from this safe and prosaic age when steam cars whirl us up from 
Cincinnati, must have been full of danger and of exciting adven- 
ture, and yet not without its pleasures. Imagination invests 
this little band of adventurers, laboriousl}' making their v.-ay 
with their boat-load of women and children up the Indian-named 
river and valley to a frontier home in the ancient Miami hunting- 
grounds, with an atmosphere of romance. On the borders of 
their ancestral corn-fields and gaiue preserves lurked jealous and 
revengeful savages, gazing with envious and homesick eyes on 
the rich lands of which the pioneers had dispossessed them. The 
Indian reign of terror, in spite of the treaty of peace, really lasted 
till after 1799, but travelers on the river were probably in less 
danger of surprise in early spring than when the foliage was in 
full leaf and the Indians could consequently more easily conceal 
themselves. 

However unpropitious the season may be, there are always 
occasional sunshiny days in the early spring in Ohio. Though 
the woods in 1796 were wet from recent showers, the rain seems 
to have been over before the pirogue began its voyage, and no 
doubt part of the time the weather was mild and bright. The 
banks of the Miami were thickly wooded, and vocal with the 
songs of countless varieties of birds. The flowers and the foliage 
of the trees were jUvSt beginning to unfold, and the ground was 
covered with grass fresh with the greenness of spring. For miles 
on either sideof the Miami extended a fertile and beautiful country. 



THE SETTLEMENT 23 

At the close of each da}' the boat was tied to a tree on the 
shore, and the emigrants landed and camped for the night 
around the big fire by which they cooked their appetizing sup- 
per of game, and fish, and the eggs of wild fowls, for which the 
hunger of travelers was a piquant and sufiicient sauce. Meat 
was fastened on a sharp stick, stuck in the ground before the fire, 
and frequently turned. Dough for wheat bread was sometimes 
wound round a stick and baked in the same way. Corn-bread 
was baked under the hot ashes. "Sweeter roast meat," exclaims 
an enthusiastic pioneer writer, "than such as is prepared in this 
manner, no epicure of Europe ever tasted." "Scarce any one 
who has not tried it can imagine the sweetness and gusto of such 
a meal, in such a place, at such a time." 

In the pirogue came Samuel Thompson and his wife, Catherine ; 
their children, Sarah, two years old, Martha, three months old, 
and Mrs. Thompson's son, Benjamin Van Cleve, then about 
twenty-five, and her daughter, Mary Van Cleve, nine years 
of age ; the widow McClure and her sons and daughters, James, 
John, Thomas, Kate, and Ann, and William Galiagan, a young 
Irishman. The passage from Cincinnati to Dayton occupied ten 
days. ]\Irs. Thompson was the first to step ashore. Two small 
camps of Indians were here when the pirogue touched the INIiami 
bank, but they proved friendly and were persuaded to leave in a 
day or two. The pirogue landed at the head of St. Clair Street 
April I, 1796. The Thompson party was the first to arrive. 

Samuel Thompson was a native of Pennsylvania, and removed 
to Cincinnati soon after* its settlement. He married the widow 
of John Van Cleve. Mr. Thompson was drowned in Mad River 
in 1817, and Mrs. Thompson died at Dayton, August 6, 1837. 
William Gahagan was a native of Pennsylvania, but of Irish 
parentage. He was a soldier in Wayne'.s legion, and came west 
in 1793, serving with the army till the peace of 1795. Benjamin 
Van Cleve and he were friends and comrades. He was one of the 
party which surveyed the site of Daj-ton. In 1804 or 1S05 he 
removed to a tract of land south of Troy, called Gahagan's 
Prairie, which he owned. Here his wife died and he married 
Mrs. Tennery. He died about 1845 in Troy. The McClures soon 
removed to Miami County. Little is known of Solomon Goss, 
Thomas Davis, William Chenoweth, James Morris, and Daniel 
Ferrell. Abraham Glassmire was a German and unmarried. He 
was a very useful member of the little community, making looms 



24 EARLY DAYTON 

and showing much ingenuity in contriving conveniences not eas- 
ily obtained by pioneer housekeepers. John Dorough was the 
owner of a mill on Mad River, afterwards known as Kneisley's 
Mill. William Newcom, 3ounger brother of George, was born 
about 1776. He married Charlotte Nolan, and had one son, Robert. 
William Newcom died at Dayton from the effects of hardships and 
exposure during the War of 1812, in which he served as a soldier. 
Biographiesof other pioneers will be given later on in our history. 

We can easily imagine the loneliness and dreariness of the 
. uninhabited wilderness which confronted the homeless pioneer 
families as they arrived by water or laud at Dayton. "The 
unbroken forest was all that welcomed the Thompson party, and 
the awful stillness of night had no refrain but the howling of the 
wolf and the wailing of the whippoorwill." The .spring was 
late and cold, but though at first the landscape looked bare and 
desolate, before many days the air was sweet with the blossoms 
of the wild grape, plum, cherry, and crab-apple, and the woods 
beautiful with the contrasting red and white of the dogwood and 
redbud or of elder and wild rose, and the fresh green of ^'oung 
leaves. The woods were full of wild fruits, flowers, and nut- 
bearing trees and bushes. 

As a temporary protection against the weather the pioneers, on 
their arrival, built, with the lumber of which the pirogue was 
made, against a log or bank three-sided huts or shanties, roofed 
with skin or bark, and open towards the fire, which was made 
outside. Then they began at once to fell timber and build log 
cabins, containing one room and a loft. After or before the 
cabin was built, the trees for some distance around were girdled 
and left to die a slow death, as they interfered with the cultiva- 
tion of the soil, and also concealed lurking Indians. Then a few 
acres were grubbed for a corn and potato patch. 

Isolated from other settlements by miles of unbroken forests, 
the only road a trail marked by blazed trees or a narrow bridle 
path, with treacherous Indians and wild beasts prowling 
through the tangled undei'growth on either side, the inhabitants 
of frontier places like Dayton were dependent on each other 
for society and for assistance in sickness and work. They 
shared ever^'thing. The latchstring was always out. Hildreth 
says of jNIarietta that the various households in the little 
community were like the nearly related branches of one family, 
and probably this was true of the log-cabin hamlet of Dayton. 



THE SETTLEMENT 25 

As soon as possible after the arrival of the pioneers, the whole 
of Monument Avenue was cleared of brush and trees. But with 
this exception, a few farms, and the wagon-road cut in the 
middle of Main Street and running south to Franklin, Fort 
Hamilton, and Cincinnati, the country on both sides of the 
Miami was for many miles unbroken forest or a thicket of hazel 
bushes and wild fruit-trees. Pioneers could, in the summer, 
step out of their back doors into a boundless wild park or 
garden. Delicious perfumes, sweet as attar of roses, — delicate, 
pungent, aromatic, — and countless flowers, pink, white, purple, 
scarlet, blue, and blending, with ever}^ shade of yellow and 
green, delighted the senses. To be sure, mud, snakes, stinging 
insects, thorns, burrs, and poisonous vines detracted from the 
pleasure of their strolls. Innumerable garter-snakes were to be 
seen, and rattlesnakes were often found. 

A hazelnut thicket covered a good deal of the town plat, and 
is often mentioned in the reminiscences of first settlers. Dr. 
Drake, a noted Cincinnatian, writing of Dr. Elliott, an ex-army 
surgeon and ancestor of some of our prominent Da3'tonians, 
says, "In the summer of 1S04 I saw him in Dayton, a highly 
accomplished gentleman in a purple silk coat, which contrasted 
strangely with the surrounding thickets of brush and high 
bushes." Such elegant raiment, though common in cities, was 
not often seen in frontier villages. Benjamin Van Cleve, in his 
interesting manUvScript autobiograph}-, describes himself on June 
26, 1794, as dressed in a hunting-frock, breechcloth, and leggings, 
with a knife eighteen inches long hanging at his side, a gun in 
one hand, and a tomahawk in the other. And this costume, in a 
modified form, was usual. A coonskin cap was added in winter. 
John W. Van Cleve, who had seen his native place change 
from a wilderness to a thriving town, gives this description of 
Dayton in 1800- 1805 : "While the inhabitants all lived on 
the river bank, it was no uncommon thing for strangers, on 
coming into the place, after threading their way through the 
brush until they had passed through the whole town plat from 
one extremity to the other, and arrived at the first few of the 
cabins that constituted the settlement, to inquire how far it was 
to Dayton. They were, of course, informed that they had just 
passed through it, and arrived in the suburbs." A little later 
the}' would have found a log cabin occiipied by John Welsh, a 
substantial farmer, at what is now the southeast corner of [Main 



26 EARIvY DAYTON 

and Fifth streets, and inquiring of liim the distance to Dayton, 
would have been directed to Newcom's Tavern, about a quarter 
of a mile down the road. Persons still living, and not aged, 
remember, when driving the cows home from the prairies east 
of St. Clair and south of First Street, — where both pasturage and 
water from several ponds were abundant, — lingering in the public 
square (now Cooper Park) to fill their pockets with hazelnuts. 
The ponds were filled so long ago that many never heard of 
them. This is also true of ' ' the ravine that ran from the head 
of Mill Street down the present course of the canal to the river 
below the foot of Ludlow Street, and of another wide ravine that 
extended from the levee at the head of Jefferson Street across to 
Cooper Park, connecting with the ravine running south." A 
gully five or six feet deep, beginning at the corner of Wilkinson 
and First streets, crossing Main at Third Street, and ending at 
the corner of Fffth and Brown streets, was not wholly filled up 
till Mr. J. D. Piatt built his house on the northwest corner of 
First and Wilkinson streets. 

In 179S the home missionar}', Rev. John Kobler, visited Daj^- 
ton, which he describes as a little village of that name, on the 
bank of the Big ]\Iiami, containing a few log houses and eight 
or ten families. When threatened with illness, he hastened 
southward, for "to lie sick at any of the houses in these parts 
would be choosing death, as it is next to impossible for a well 
man to get food or sustenance." Yet, as is usual in regions 
where very rich soil is newly cultivated, the pioneers all had 
ague. Fortunately, what was chill day to one-half the popula- 
tion was generally well day to the other half. One Sunday 
morning, when a little knot of worshipers were assembled, as a 
pioneer lady used to relate, a tall, bent, gaunt, sallow-faced man, 
w^ho was enj03'ing his "well day," slowl}- and feebly crept ;ip 
the aisle. A little child, after one glance at this walking skele- 
ton, exclaimed in terror, "O mother, is that death?" and buried 
his head in her lap. He had taken literally the saying that an 
invalid "looked like death." January' i, 1799, Mr. Kobler 
preached at Dayton to a mixed company of traders from Detroit, 
and some Indians, French, and English, from the appropriate 
text, "In every nation he that feareth him, and worketh right- 
eousness, is accepted with him." He spoke so forcibly that 
"many of them looked wild and stood aghast, as if they 
would take to their heels." 



THE SETTLEMENT 27 

When in the fall of 1795 pioneers, or their representatives, vis- 
ited the "mouth of Mad River" to select homes, they drew both 
town and outlots, and the latter farms some of them cultivated. 
They also had, after a time, gardens round their cabins. "West 
of Wilkinson Street," as Curwen, the delightful first historian of 
Daj'ton, sa3'S, "was a huge corn-field within one common enclo- 
sure, where, as in that golden age of the world when men lodged 
under trees and fed upon acorns, every man was at liberty to till 
as much of the soil as he chose." Further, small prairies 
between the large inclosure and the cabins served as a common 
vegetable garden. 

It is a disputed point whether Mary Van Cleve, the sister of 
Benjamin, or her mother was the first to leap from the boat 
which conveyed the party of travelers in search of a new home 
in a new country — the Dayton of a hundred years ago. Trans- 
planted at the age of nine, she grew up with the village, and 
spent a long life here. She was well known by her two marriages 
as Mrs. Swaynie and Mrs. McCIean. Some of her early experi- 
ences were very thrilling. She had reason to regard Indians 
with horror. Her father, John Van Cleve, while cultivating his 
farm near Cincinnati, was killed in 1791 by a "naked Indian, 
who sprang upon him, plunged a knife into his heart, took a 
small scalp off, and ran." A party of friends of Mr. Van Cleve 
pursued him and his band, and Mr. Thompson, afterward Mary 
Van Cleve's stepfather, overtook one of the Indians and cut off 
his hand. As a consequence, Mr. Thompson incurred the 
revengeful spite of all the savages, but hoped after his removal 
to Dayton to be rid of them. There came a time, however, when 
this roving band also found their way to the frontier village. 
Late one dark summer evening, having filled themselves with 
fire-water, they surrounded the Thompson and Van Cleve 
cabin on Monument Avenue, midway between St. Clair and 
Jefferson streets, and with fierce yells demanded admission. The 
family were alone, and, realizing their great peril, they took 
Mary, a brave little girl of twelve, from her bed, hastily diessed 
her, lifted a part of the puncheon floor, and directed her to watch 
her opportunity to creep through the small aperture to the 
ground, above which the cabin was raised a little, and run to 
Newcom's Tavern for help. Every anecdote of this period is in 
some way connected with our only historical relic. Her descrip- 
tion of her terrified run through the pathless brush and hazel 



28 



EARLY DAYTON 



patches, tears streaming down her cheeks, the noise of the dread- 
ful warwhoops of the Indians in her ears, her flesh and clothes 
torn with briars, her bare feet splashing through the water, and 
slipping and stumbling over the mossy stones at the bottom of 
the gully which then ran from Second Street, by the park, back 
of the Monument Avenue cabins to Jefferson Street near the river 
bank, was very graphic. No wonder that in telling the story she 
often said, "Iran a mile before I reached Newcom's Tavern." 
Yet the distance was not quite two of our present squares. A 
number of men were at the tavern, wondering w'hat the howling 
and shrieks they heard from the eastward could mean. They all 
returned with her, one of the men carrying her home in his arms. 
By their assistance the Indians were routed, and nothing serious 
resulted from the attack. 

Mary Van Cleve was married in 1804 to John McClean, by 
whom she had seven children. Two daughters live in Dayton — 
Mrs. Sarah J. McC. Swaynie and Mrs. E. S. Dow. She married, 
second, in 1826 Robert Swaynie. They had no children. Mrs. 
Swaynie died several j^ears ago. 








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CHAPTER II 

EARLY SETTLERS 

Daniel C. Cooper— Newcom's Tavern — Cooper Park — Mr. Cooper Becomes 
Titular Proprietor of the Town — His Improvements and Liberality — 
Indians Frequent Visitors — Playing Marbles at Midnight— Robert Edgar 

— First Store in Dayton — Henry Brown — First Flatboat — Furniture of 
the Nine Cabins Constituting Dayton — Food — Game — Hogs Introduced 

— Fish —Blockhouses for Defense Against Indians Built at Dayton — First 
School in Dayton — Benjamin Van Cleve's Autobiography— Early Life of 
Van Cleve — Battle of Monmouth — "Wagon Journey of the Van Cleves 
Across the Mountains — Murder of John Van Cleve at Cincinnati by 
Indians— Benjamin Van Cleve Supports his Father's Family— Self-Edu- 
cated—Employed in Quartermaster's Department of Western Army — 
St. Clair's Defeat— Employed in Flatboating by Army Contractors — In 
Charge of Army Horses and Cattle— Sent Express to Philadelphia by 
Quartermaster's Department— Sent by General Knox from Philadelphia 
to Conduct Pair of Horses to Indian Chief Brant — Quarrel with General 
Knox— Meets Brant in New York — Studious Life After Return to Phila- 
delphia — Sent West with Dispatches to General Wayne — Journey by 
Boat from Wheeling, Accompanied by Officers and Recruits — Cheated Out 
of His Pay — Flatboating to Kentucky— Sutler at Fort Greenville— Sent 
by Army Contractor to Fort Massac with Two Boats Loaded with Pro- 
visions — Adventure at Fort Massac with Major, Called "King," Doyle 

— Returning, Visits Red Banks, a Resort of Thieves and Cutthroats- 
Drives Cattle to Greenville, Fort Wayne, and Fort Washington— Accom- 
panies Captain Dunlap to Make the Survey of the Dayton Settlement- 
Adventures as a Surveyor — Keeps Field-Notes During Rain on Blocks of 
Wood— Settles in Dayton— Surveying, Writing, and Farming— Trials. 

Now THAT the approach of the Dayton Centennial is exciting 
a special interest in the settlers and founders of the town, it 
should not be forgotten that Daniel C. Cooper is the pioneer who 
should be made most prominent and given the highest honors at 
our celebration. He was born in Morris County, New Jersey, in 
1773. About 1803 he married Mrs. Sophia Greene Burnet, of 
Dayton. From the time that a settlement here was first planned 
by St. Clair, Wilkinson, Dayton, and Ludlow, he was acquainted 
with the project, and inclined, it is probable, to make the new 
town his home. He accompanied the surveying parties led by 
Colonel Israel Ludlow through the Miami Valley in 1794 and 

29 



30 EARLY DAYTON 

1795, and in September, 1795, by direction of the proprietors, 
marked out and cut through the brush from Fort Hamilton to 
the mouth of Mad River the wagon-road by which the pioneers 
ended their journey. That fall and winter he located one 
thousand acres of land in and near Dayton. He settled here 
permanently in the summer of 1796, building a cabin on the 
southeast corner of JNIonument Avenue and Jefferson Street. In 
1798 he moved onto the farm, south of Dayton, afterwards the 
home of Colonel Patterson and General Brown, who distinguished 
himself in the War of 1812, and was afterwards commander-in- 
chief of the United vStates iYrmy. He kept bachelor's hall in his 
Monument Avenue cabin for a time. 

It would have been a disgrace not to have preserved Newcom's 
Tavern, which, when built in 1799, was the pride of all this 
region on account of its siiperiority to any other house north 
of Hamilton. We know that round it cluster nearl}- all the most 
interesting historical associations of the earliest period of the 
history of Dayton, and that it was the first tavern, store, church, 
court-house, and jail of the towni or county. There is great 
propriety in naming the little pioneer landing for the Van 
Cleves. But it is also eminently proper that the square in 
which the library building stands should be called Cooper Park, 
for the generous, public-spirited man who gave it and other 
valuable lots to the town. Our citizens seem not to know, or 
to have forgotten, that several 5' ears ago the City Council voted 
to name this square Cooper Park, so that it is improper, whether 
law, gratitude, or sentiment is concerned, to call it Library Park. 
Cooper Park let it be henceforth and forever. 

In 1801 the original proprietors of Dayton became discouraged 
and Mr. Cooper became titular proprietor of the town by the 
purchase of preemption rights, agreement with settlers, and 
friendly Congressional legislation. He showed his intelligence 
and breadth of view bj'- the size of lots and the width of streets 
and sidewalks on his new plat of the town, and by his liberal 
donations of lots and money for schools, churches, a graveyard, 
market-house, and for county buildings, and to desirable settlers 
whom he induced to come here. He built the only mills erected 
in Dayton during the first ten years of its history — flour-, full- 
ing-, and sawmills, and one for grinding corn. For several years 
at different periods he served as justice of the peace, president of 
Council, and member of both branches of the Legislature, and in 



EARLY SETTLERS 3! 

every way in his power labored for the prosperity of the town, 
county, and State. His residence, built in 1805 on the southwest 
corner of Ludlow and First streets, was described as an " elegant 
mansion of hewn logs, lined inside, instead of plastering, with 
cherry boards." To his enlarged views, foresight, broad plans, 
liberality, integrity, and business capacity much of the present 
advancement of our city is due. The impress of his wise, mod- 
erate, prudent, yet progressive spirit, laid upon the town in its 
infancy, has never been lost. 

Indians were frequent visitors to the village of Dayton, and 
even when friendly their curiosity and thieving habits made 
them unwelcome. They generally came to exchange skins, maple 
sugar, etc., for articles carried about the country by traders. 
Robert Edgar, one of the earliest settlers and a valuable citizen, 
man}^ of whose descendants live in Dayton, built himself a 
lonely home on the little prairie now the site of the Water 
Works. Sometimes at night Indians, with whom he must have 
been inconveniently popular, would stop in front of his cabin 
and call, " Lobit ! Lobit ! " ( Indian for Robert) till he awoke and 
admitted them. They came for amusement, and were not satisfied 
till they had persuaded their host to get down on the floor and 
play marbles with them. When they had enjoyed the game 
to their hearts' content, they departed in great good humor, 
and their relieved and weary entertainer went back to bed. His 
associations with the Indians were not all of a laughable charac- 
ter. In 1792, at Wheeling, his father was, on Good Friday 
evening, attacked, killed, and scalped by nine Indians, while on 
the way to w^arn a neighbor of their approach. 

Robert Edgar first visited Dayton in 1795 as one of the survey- 
ing party led by Mr. Cooper, and settled here in 1796. Though 
a farmer, he was also a good mechanic, and built and ran mills 
for Mr. Cooper at Dayton, and for ]\Ir. Robinson upon Mad River. 
He was a soldier in the War of 1812 in one of the companies of 
mounted rangers from this county, and his sword is now in 
possession of his son, John F. Edgar. Robert Edgar was born 
in Staunton, Virginia, in 1770, and emigrated to Ohio before 
1795. At Cincinnati, September 27, 1798, he married Mrs. Mar- 
garet Kirkwood. Mr. and Mrs. Edgar had a large family, but 
only five lived past childhood. Jane Allen, born November 24, 
1800, married Augustus George, December 4, 181 7, and died in 
1824 ; descendants in Dayton, the children of the late George 



32 KARLY DAVTOX 

H. Phillips. Robert A., born October lo, 1S03, married Catherine 
Iddings; died in 1833. Samuel D., born March 26, 1S06, married 
Minerva A. Jones, August 5, 1845 ; died October i, 1874. He has 
a number of grandchildren, the children of two daughters and a 
son. Mary, born April 8, 181 1, married. May 10, 183 1, Stephen 
Johnston; died July 25, 1849. John F., born October 29, 1814, 
alone survives. He married, April 20, 1843, EflEie A. Rogers. 
He has three daughters — Jeanne, Isabel, and Elizabeth Edgar. 

In the fall of 1800 the first store in Dayton was opened in a 
room of the second story of Newcom's Tavern bj- a Mr. 
McDougal from Detroit. Though this store was a great con- 
venience to the villagers and the country for forty miles around, 
McDougal's chief trade was with Indians, who came here for 
that purpose. 

In 1804 Henry Brown, prominent in the early history of our 
city, built on Main Street, near the High School, a frame build- 
ing for a store — the first house erected here specially for business 
purposes. Since 1795 he had been engaged in the Indian trade, 
having stores at Fort Hamilton and Fort Laramie, and, as 
stated, in 1S04 at Daj'ton, in partnership with IMr. Sunderland. 
Three generations of his descendants have been well known in 
our cit}'. The agents of his firm were camped on all the streams 
for many miles in every direction from Dayton, wherever Indians 
could be reached. Traders, accompanied by packhorses laden 
with goods, took long, loneh*, dangerous journeys through the 
wilderness, lasting several months, to Indian villages. Some of 
their goods were shipped in fiatboats or pirogues down the rivers 
to Cincinnati and New Orleans. 

Henry Brown was born near Lexington, Virginia, about 1770. 
In 1793 he came to the Northwest Territory as military secretary 
for Colonel Preston, who was in command of a regiment in 
Wayne's army. February 19, 1811, he married Katherine, 
daughter of Colonel Robert Patterson. INIr. Brown died in 1825. 
Mr. and Mrs. Brown had three children : R. P. Brown, born 
December 6, 181 1, married Sarah Galloway, October ^1, 1837; 
died May 4, 1879. Henry L. Brown, born December 3, 1814, 
married Sarah Belle Browning, February 7, 1837 ; died November 
25, 1878. Eliza J. Brown, born in Dayton, October 30, 1816, 
married Charles Anderson, September 16, 1835. R. P. and Henry 
L. Brown were men of the finest character, influential in many 
directions, and held in the highest regard by their fellow-citizens. 



EARLY SETTLERS 33 

The first flatboat that left Da3'ton was owned bj^ David Lowry. 
It started on the two months' trip to New Orleans during the 
spring freshet of 1799, and was loaded with grain, pelts, and 500 
venison hams. 

The nine cabins which in 1799 constituted Dayton, contained 
only a few home-made benches, stools, beds, tables, and cup- 
boards, often of buckeye and beechwood. Doddridge in his 
"Notes" says that a pioneer's table furniture consisted of 
"some old pewter dishes and plates; the rest, wooden bowls 
or trenchers, or gourds, and hard-shelled squashes. A few 
pewter spoons, much battered about the edges, were to be 
seen on some tables. The rest were made of horn. If knives 
were scarce, the deficiency was made up by the scalping-knives, 
which were carried in sheaths suspended from the belt of the 
hunting-shirt." The cabin was warmed and lighted wholly by 
the huge open hickory fire, over which, in pots suspended from 
cranes or on the coals or in the ashes, the cooking was done. At 
an early date the pioneers raised flax, hemp, and wool, and the 
women spun, wove, and dj-ed, with colors made from walnut 
and butternut hulls or wild roots, the fabrics from which they 
made the clothes of the family. Every cabin had its spinning- 
wheel and loom, the latter built by the ingenious pioneer weaver, 
Abraham Glassmire. One wonders whether pioneer women 
were really harder worked than their granddaughters. They 
had little to occupy or amuse them outside their own homes — 
no benevolent societies, clubs, receptions, calls, concerts, or 
lectures, and only occasional church services. They had only 
one or two rooms to keep in order, and no pictures, books, cur- 
tains, carpets, rugs, table- and bed-linen, bric-a-brac, china, glass, 
or silver to take care of. Their wardrobes were scanty, and the 
weekly washing must have been small. Wheat flour could not 
be obtained ; corn hoe-cake, ash-cake, johnny-cake, dodgers, 
pone, homin}^, and mush and milk were principal articles of 
diet. Meal was slowly and laboriousl}- ground in handmills. 
Wild plums, crab-apples, blackberries and strawberries, sweet- 
ened with maple sugar, furnished jellies and preserves. There 
was an abundance of wild hone}', and of wild goose and turkey 
and duck eggs. They often tired of venison, bears' meat, rabbits, 
squirrels, wild turkeys, ducks, geese, quail, and pheasants, and 
longed for pork. There was great rejoicing, no doubt, when, in 
1799, Mr. Cooper introduced hogs. In 1800 sheep were first 
3 



34 EARLY DAYTON 

brought here. The rivers were full of bass, catfish, pickerel, 
pike, eels, aud suufish. 

Benjamin Van Cleve says in his autobiography that, in July 
and August, 1799, "the Indians were counseling and evinced an 
unfriendh' disposition. The British traders and French among 
them had made them dissatisfied with the cession of their lands 
and with the boundaries, and blockhouses were built at Dayton 
and all through the countr}-, and the people became considerably 
alarmed." The Da^-ton blockhouse stood on the present site of 
the soldiers' monument, and was built of round logs, with a 
projecting upper stor3\ The men in town and surrounding 
country kept strict watch, and were all armed and read}' to take 
refuge, if necessary, with their families, in the blockhouse. But 
it was never used for protection against Indians. For a short 
time it was the village church and school-house. In the first 
story, the 3'ear it was built, the Presbj'terians held their Sunday 
services, and the same 3'ear Benjamin Van Cleve taught there 
the first school ever opened in Da3-ton — another reason wlu' the 
park which the High School overlooks should be named for him. 
In his journal for 1 799-1800, he sa3-s : " On the ist of September 
I commenced teaching a small school. I had reserved time to 
gather m}' com, aud kept school until the last of October." He 
har\'ested a fine crop b}- the first week in November. Vacation 
lasted part of December ; for, after harvest, he went to Cincinnati 
to assist the clerk of the House of Representatives of the first 
Territorial Legislature. He was well suited to siicli work. He 
held the ofiice of clerk of the ]\Iontgomer3- Court of Common 
Pleas from 1S02 till his death in 1S21, and was postmaster from 
1S04 to 1821, being the first to hold either ofiice in Da3'ton. 

After Mr. Van Cleve's return from Cincinnati, he "kept school 
about three months longer." It is said that, as books were 
difiicult to procure, he taught the alphabet and spelling from 
charts prepared b3- himself. The3- were, no doubt, beautifulH- 
written and colored, for his penmanship was remarkable for 
elegance and legibilit3-, and his diar3' or autobiograpli3- is illus- 
trated b3' plans and maps neath' executed in India ink and water 
colors. He was a skillful surve3-or and engineer, and like those 
of General W. C. Schenck ( father of Admiral and General R. C. 
Schenck) and other contemporaries of his profession, the papers 
and accounts which descendants of people for whom he did 
business still preserve are not onK- correct in form and substance, 



EARLY SETTLERS 35 

but beautiful pieces of work, and often ornamented by a large 
and artistic monogram of the employer. 

In 1801 Mr. Van Cleve was appointed county surveyor. In 
18 1 2 the President of the United States appointed him and two 
other commissioners "to explore, survey, and mark a road by 
the most eligible course from the foot of the rapids of the Miami 
of Lake Erie to the western line of the Connecticut Reserve, and 
a road to run southwardly from Lower Sandusky to the boundary 
line established by the treaty of Greenville." 

Mr. Van Cleve's autobiography or "Memoranda," as he styled 
it, now in the possession of Mrs. Thomas Dover, widow of a 
grandson, is a very curious and valuable book. It has never been 
printed in full. This sturdy little manuscript volume, written in 
a hand as graceful and legible as the best type, and bound in 
strong, square leather covers, which, like the heavy paper 
within, are dark with age, has, though studied by several his- 
torians, and read by many others, been so carefully guarded by 
the appreciative descendants of the writer that time and use 
have injured it very little. 

Mr. Van Cleve's life after 1796 is so much a part of the history 
of Dayton that it seems more appropriate and interesting to 
describe the incidents that occurred during that period under the 
proper dates in our story, than to give them in a continuous 
biography. His childhood and youth, while not spent in 
Dayton, were filled with hardship as well as romantic adven- 
ture of a kind that made him master of all his faculties, and. 
this severe discipline developed the character that rendered him 
one of the most useful and progressive founders and citizens of 
the struggling village in the Mad River country. Therefore, a 
somewhat detailed account of his early years will be both inter- 
esting and profitable. He is worth}^ of being held up as an 
example to the boys in our public schools. Some of his traits 
are of the kind that appeal most strongly to boy nature. 

In his Memoranda, which he states was written for the in- 
struction and amusement of his children, Mr. Van Cleve sets down 
for their guidance the rules by which he regulated his own valu- 
able life. He tells them that he made it a point to be polite and 
obliging to all with whom he was connected in business, whether 
he stood to them in the relation of employer or employee. And 
in his obituary- it is stated that he "recommended himself to 
esteem by his agreeable manner of doing business. ' ' He regarded 



36 EARLY DAYTON 

justice, honor, and integrity as the best policy, though it was 
not this inferior motive but a higher one that led him to pursue 
that upright and public-spirited career which won the respect 
and admiration of his fellow-citizens. He was a religious man 
and a member of the Presbyterian Church. He took an active 
part in promoting the best interests of his town and State, and 
was a trustee of several literary institutions. In the Memoranda 
he dwells upon the fact that he always had a place for everything 
and a set time for the performance of each duty, and he exhorted 
his children above all to form similar sj'stematic, accurate, and 
methodical habits. 

Benjamin Van Cleve began to keep a diary at a very early age, 
and not long before his death in 1821 he condensed and revised 
his journals, copying them into the volume from which the 
material for his biography is drawn. His Memoranda contains, 
perhaps, the most accurate and graphic description of St. Clair's 
defeat that has been written ; and from the Memoranda has also 
been obtained the only reliable account of the settlement of 
Dayton. The Memoranda, supplemented by the files of earl5'- 
newspapers which he preserved, consitutes him literally the his- 
torian of Dayton from 1795 to 1821. 

Benjamin Van Cleve's ancestors came to Flatbush, Long 
Island, from Amsterdam, Holland, in the seventeenth century, 
and from thence removed to Staten Island, and final!}- settled in 
New Jersey. He was born February 24, 1773, in Monmouth 
County, New Jersey, and was the eldest child of John and Cath- 
erine Benham Van Cleve. He had three brothers and five sisters. 
His father was a blacksmith. 

Mr. Van Cleve's earliest recollection was of the battle of Mon- 
mouth, on the 28th of June, 1778. Late in life he could well remem- 
ber the confusion of women and children, and their flight to the 
pine swamps just before the engagement, though he was only 
five years old at the time. When about a mile from home the 
refugees came in sight of the enemy, and paused to consult what 
course to pursue. The Monmouth men went in search of the Amer- 
ican army, and Benjamin Van Cleve, "becoming separated from 
the rest of his family, aimed," he tells us in the Memoranda, "to 
return home." When within a short distance of the enemy, the 
bugles drove the child, who in the confusion had not been missed, 
back to the place where his relatives were collected. The refugees 
could hear the firing distinctly, and judge from the sound which 



EARLY SETTLERS 37 

side was advancing or receding. ' ' When onr army was retreating, 
many of the men were melted to tears ; when it was advancing, 
there was every demonstration of joy and exultation." The 
next day John Van Cleve and his brothers ' ' acted as guides to 
separate companies of Colonel Morgan's riflemen, and reconnoi- 
tered the British right flank, took a number of prisoners, and 
took and recaptured a great deal of property." 

When, on the retreat of the British, John Van Cleve brought 
his family back from the pine swamps, he found nothing to 
mark the site of his home but a naked and blackened chimney, 
stumps of apple trees, and the bodies of animals killed by the 
British. He "had," his son says, "neither a shelter for his 
family, nor bread for them, nor clothing to cover them excepting 
what they had on. He saved a bed and a looking-glass, which 
we carted with us. A j-earling heifer had escaped the enemy, 
and a sow, with a back broken by a sword, lived. My father's 
anvil remained, I believe, amidst the rubbish and ruins of the 
shop. Several wagons and an artillery carriage were burnt in 
the shop ; the pieces of artillery had been thrown into a pool of 
muddy water in the middle of the road, and were not found by 
the enemy." The Tories committed depredations both by land 
and by sea on the Monmouth County people, and for this 
reason the militia were till the end of the war almost constantly 
on dutj'. John Van Cleve was "from home on this service a 
great part of the time, and he was in some skirmishes with the 
Tories and British. He was also under General Forman at 
the battle of Germantown." 

In November, 17S5, John Van Cleve removed with his family 
and several relatives and friends from Freehold, New Jersey, to 
Penns3^1vania. The party traveled with three wagons, two of 
which contained Van Cleve's blacksmith tools, provisions, and 
household furniture. The emigrants had an uncomfortable and 
fatiguing journey up and down the icy or snowj' Alleghany 
Mountain roads, which, "being only opened sufficient for wag- 
ons to pass, and neither dug nor leveled, also winding in both 
ascent and descent," there was constant danger of upsetting. 
"To undertake the crossing," Benjamin Van Cleve wrote, "with 
loaded wagons required a considerable degree of resolution and 
fortitude." The horses were soon nearly exhausted from the 
hard pulling through the deep snow, which balled in their feet. 
Sometimes the wagons stuck in the mud or broke down. The 



38 EARLY DAYTON 

women and children suffered very much from cold and exposure. 
Benjamin Van Cleve writes on November 17 : " Tarried to repair 
our wagons, and the women were employed in baking and cook- 
ing." November 18 : "Froze considerable last night. The roads 
are filled with ice. Came this day to Mr. McShay's on Sideling 
Hill. The house was so crowded with travelers that, notwith- 
standing the cold, we were obliged to encamp in the woods. The 
horses and men are very much fatigued, having spent near half 
the day getting up this hill, which is steep and stony, and the 
road winds back and forth to gain the summit. We had to put 
six horses to a wagon and bring one up at a time." They 
reached their journey's end on the 8th of December. 

The greater part of the time between 1786 and 1789 the Van 
Cleves spent on a farm near Washington, Pennsylvania. In 
December, 1789, the family emigrated to Cincinnati, making the 
journey by water, and arriving the day after General St. Clair 
changed the name of the town, which had previously been called 
Losantiville. Benjamin Van Cleve settled on land on the east 
bank of the Licking River, belonging to Major Leech, who, 
wishing to open a farm for himself, offered a hundred acres of 
unimproved ground for each ten-acre field cleared by a settler, 
with the use for three years of the improved land. 

Benjamin Van Cleve hoped, with the assistance of his father's 
labor, to secure at least one hundred acres, but the latter' s death 
prevented the fulfillment of their expectations. A fortified 
station was built on Leech's land, and four families and four 
single men went out to the place to live. The Indians were very 
troublesome and daring in 1791, skulking through the streets of 
Cincinnati and the gardens near Fort Washington at night. On 
the 2ist of May they fired on John Van Cleve while he was at 
work in his field near the village and captured a man named 
Cutter, who was standing within a few yards of him. "The 
alarm was given by halloing from lot to lot, until it reached 
town." Benjamin Van Cleve came in from Leech's Station just 
as the news of the attack was received at Cincinnati, and saw the 
villagers running to the public grounds. He followed them, and 
there met with a man who had seen the Indians firing on his 
father. He a.sked if any would go to the rescue with him, " and 
pushed on without halting." After running a short distance the 
party met John Van Cleve. " While we were finding the trail of 
the Indians on their retreat," Benjamin writes, "perhaps forty 



EARLY SETTLERS 39 

persons had arrived, most of whom joined in the pursuit ; but by 
the time we gained the top of the river hills, we had onlj' eight." 
They kept the Indians ' ' on the full run till dark," but were obliged 
to return to Cincinnati at night without recapturing Cutter. A 
few days later, on the ist of June, John Van Cleve was again 
attacked by Indians while working iij his own lot. "A naked 
Indian," Benjamin says, "sprang upon him; my father was 
seen to throw him, but at this time the Indian was plunging his 
knife into his heart. He took a small scalp off and ran. The men 
behind came up immediately, but mj' father was already dead." 

One of John Van Cleve's daughters was married, but he left 
four younger children, who were not old enough to support 
themselves. "I immediately resolved," Benjamin Van Cleve 
says, "to supply the place of father to them to the utmost of my 
ability, and I feel a consolation in having fvilfilled my duty 
towards them as well as my mother. M}^ father had not many 
debts or engagements to fulfill. I paid some debts by ni}- labor 
(all that he owed) as a day-laborer, and my brother-in-law 
assisted me in building a house he had undertook, and received 
the pay for my mother." "After the funeral of my father, I 
returned and planted my corn, but was obliged to divide my 
time and bestow the greater part at Cincinnati for the benefit of 
the family. I settled my father's books, fulfilled his engagements, 
and sold his blacksmith's tools to the quartermaster-general." 

For a number of years Benjamin Van Cleve was burdened with 
the support of his mother and the family, and had a hard strug- 
gle with poverty. He was young and ignorant of the world, and 
felt the need of counsel. Many depended on him, and there was 
no one to whom he could turn for help, or with whom he could 
share his responsibilities. " Happy he who has, at this period of 
life," he wrote years afterwards, at a date when his own carefully 
nurtured son had recently graduated with honor from Ohio Uni- 
versity, "a father or friend whose experience will afford him a 
chart ; whose kind advice will serve as a compass to direct him." 

Benjamin Van Cleve was all his life a lover of good books and 
good men, and though he enjoyed very limited educational 
advantages, he became noted for intelligence, information, and 
elevation of character. Vice seems to have had but slight charm 
for him ; but no doubt the thought of his helpless family would 
have restrained one of his affectionate nature and spurred him to 
exert himself to the uttermost had he been tempted to fall into 



40 EARLY DAYTON 

idle and dissipated habits. He was obliged to seek work wher- 
ever he could find it, and could not afford to be nice in his choice 
of associates. "Had my fortitude and resolution," he says, 
"been weaker, they might have been overcome, for my com- 
panions for several years were of the most profane and dissipated, 
such as followers of the army and mostly discharged soldiers." 

In the summer of 1791 he obtained emplo3ment in the quar- 
termaster's department, and on the 8th of August set off for 
Kentucky, where his uncle, Captain Benham, was commissioned 
by the Government to buy artillery horses for St. Clair's army. 
Van Cleve received the purchased horses at Lexington, branded 
them, and pastured them in the neighborhood of the town. In 
about two weeks a drove was collected and taken to Cincinnati. 
Captain Benham was very ill on their return from Kentucky, and 
his nephew was obliged to do all his writing, keep his accounts, 
and attend to his other business. 

On the 3d of September Benham and Van Cleve left Fort 
Washington, Cincinnati, for the army, with three or four bri- 
gades of packhorses, loaded with armorer's and artificer's tools. 
The armorers were armed and marched with the brigades, but 
would have proved a weak escort had the Indians attacked 
them. Benham's party overtook the troops at a place thirty or 
forty miles beyond Fort Hamilton, and marched with them to 
Fort Jefferson, which was not completed. At the end of five 
days Benham and Van Cleve returned with six brigades, leaving 
five at Hamilton and taking one on to Fort Washington. They 
were ordered back to transport provisions from Cincinnati to 
the army, which was reduced to short allowance, the failure of 
Colonel Duer, the contractor, having thrown all military arrange- , 
ments into confusion. The packhorsemen returned as soon as 
possible with their loads, and overtook the army on the 31st of 
October twenty-two miles beyond Fort Jefferson. They found 
poor St. Clair so ill with the gout as to be carried in a litter. 
The Kentucky militia had just deserted in a body, and the 
evening of the day that Benham's party arrived in camp the first 
regiment was dispatched to bring the deserters back, and also to 
escort in provisions that were then on the way. 

Benjamin Van Cleve had been entered on the pay-roll of the 
army as a packhorseman, at fifteen dollars pay per month. He 
worked hard to earn his wages. Each brigade of packhorses 
drew its rations separatel^^ As he kept the accounts and also 



EARLY SETTLERS 41 

communicated orders, he had a great deal of writing to do. In 
addition to his ordinary duties, he was often obliged to take care 
of his own and his uncle's horses. Sometimes it was necessary 
to carry part of the stores or provisions lashed on the back of the 
animal he was accustomed to ride, and foot it himself through 
the mud in the roughest manner. Captain Benham had a large 
marquee, or horseman's tent, which, as it was very roomj^ he 
occasionally asked officers to share. "Having sometimes to be 
in the company of officers and sometimes in the miid," Van 
Cleve was induced on his expeditions to the army to take all 
his clothes with him, and they made a heavy and unwieldy pack. 

At daybreak on the 2d of November, while, in obedience to 
orders, packing his cumbersome luggage on his horse in prepara- 
tion for the return to Cincinnati, he heard firing and was soon 
witnessing his first battle. It was not long till his horse was 
shot down, and instead of lamenting the accident he was glad 
of it ; for he now felt at liberty to share in the engagement, 
expecting much pleasure from the turmoil and excitement of 
the battle, which, in his ignorance of the condition of the army 
and of the uncertainties of Indian warfare, he was confident 
would end victoriously for our troops. , In a few moments 
he provided himself with a gun obtained from a man who 
was wounded in the arm, began firing, and till the retreat was 
commenced was in the thick of the fight. He escaped unhurt, 
though he lost his horse and all his clothes ; but Captain Benham 
and Daniel Benham, a young man brought up by Benham, and 
whom Van Cleve regarded as a brother, were both wounded. 

The ground was soon ' ' literally covered with dead and dying 
men, and the commander gave orders to take the way," that is, 
to retreat. Van Cleve joined a party of eight or nine men whom 
he saw start on a run a little to the left of where he was. 
When they had gone about two miles, a boy, who had been 
thrown or fell off a horse, begged Van Cleve's assistance, and he 
ran, pulling the boy along, about two miles farther, until both 
had become nearly exhausted. Seeing two horses approaching, 
one of which carried three men and the other two. Van Cleve 
managed to throw the lad up behind the two men. Though 
afterwards thrown off, the boy escaped and got safely home. 
Van Cleve did not see Bonham on the retreat, but understood that 
his body was found in the winter on the battlefield and buried. 

Van Cleve was taken with cramp during the retreat and could 



42 EARLY DAYTON 

hardly walk, "till he got within a hundred yards of the rear, 
where the Indians were tomahawking the old and wounded 
men." Here he stopped to "tie his pocket-handkerchief around 
a man's wounded knee." The Indians were close in pursuit at 
this time and he almost despaired of escaping. He threw off his 
shoes and the coolness of the ground revived him. " I again," 
he says, "began a trot, and recollect that when a bend in the 
road offered, and I got before half a dozen persons, I thought it 
would occupy some time for the enemy to massacre them before 
my turn would come. By the time I had got to Stillwater, about 
eleven miles, I had gained the center of the flying troops, and, 
like them, came to a walk. I fell in with Lieutenant Shaumberg, 
who I think was the only officer of artillery that got away 
unhurt, with Corporal Mott and a woman who was called 
'Redheaded Nance.' The latter two were crying. Mott was 
lamenting the loss of his wife, and Nance that of an infant child. 
Shaumberg was nearly exhavisted, and hung on Mott's arm. I 
carried his fusee and accouterments and led Nance ; and in this 
sociable way we arrived at Fort Jefferson a little after sunset." 

Benham and Van Cleve immediately went on with Colonel 
Drake and others, who were ordered forward to dispatch pro- 
visions to the troops. After marching a few miles the party was 
so overcome with fatigue that they halted. A packhorseman 
"had stolen at Fort Jefferson one pocketful of flour and the other 
full of beef." Another of the men had a kettle. Benjamin Van 
Cleve groped about in the dark until he found some water in a 
hole, out of which a tree had been blown by the root. They then 
made a kettle of soup, of which each of the party got a little. 
After supping they marched four or five miles farther, when a 
sentinel was set and they lay down and slept. They were worn 
out with fatigue, and their feet were knocked to pieces against 
the roots in the night and by splashing through the ice without 
shoes, for "the ground was covered with snow and the flats filled 
with water frozen over, the ice as thick as a knife-blade." On the 
6th of November they reached Hamilton and were out of danger. 

On the 25th of November Benham and his nephew were paid 
off" and discharged at Fort Washington. A week later Van Cleve 
entered the service of the new army contractors, Elliott & Wil- 
liams, and started the same day for the Falls of the Ohio to bring 
up a boat-load of salt. When he returned he was employed by 
the contractors to feed and take charge of a herd of cattle 



EARLY SETTLERS 43 

through the winter. In the spring, when the cattle were turned 
out to pasture near Cincinnati, he went on a twelve days' trip by 
boat to Fort Hamilton. Afterwards for a short time he was in 
charge of horses belonging to the quartermaster at a camp three 
miles up the Licking River. 

The evening of the loth of May, 1792, he was expected at 
Cincinnati to draw provisions. He arrived about dark and found 
that the quartermaster had determined to send him express to 
Philadelphia, and had been to his mother's, had his clothes 
packed, a horse saddled, and everj-thing ready for the journey. 
He received his instructions from the quartermaster and com- 
mandant, and started before midnight accompanied by Captain 
Kimberland. Forty dollars were given him, which were expected 
to be "equal to his expenses" and he was ordered to take the 
most direct route to Philadelphia, which at that da}' was via 
Lexington, Kentucky, and Crab Orchard, Cumberland Mountains, 
Powell's Valley, Abingdon, Bolecourt, Lexington, Staunton, Mar- 
tinsburg, Louisa, Hagerstown, Maryland, York and. Lancaster, 
Pennsylvania. He traveled with as little delay as possible by day 
or b}' night. On reaching Crab Orchard eighteen persons joined 
him. The party was armed with five guns and five pistols. The 
trip, on account of the Indian alarms and rainy weather, was 
very disagreeable. 

Van Cleve reached Philadelphia June 7, 1792,-and delivered his 
dispatches next day. He went to the War Department every 
morning at ten o'clock to see if there were anj'^ commands for 
him, and at last General Knox ordered him to go to New York 
to conduct thither a pair of fine horses which the heads of the 
department had presented to Captain Joseph Brant, chief of 
the Six Nations. Van Cleve was directed to leave the horses 
in the care of Mr. Edward Bardin, of the Cit}- Tavern, taking 
his receipt and requesting him to deliver them to Captain Brant 
on the latter's arrival in New York. Mr. Van Cleve replied that 
he would be glad to go to New York, but that, if he went, money 
to pay his expenses must be furnished him by the Government. 
General Knox was much excited by this answer, swore at the 
young man, and declared that it took more for his expenses than 
would support the Duke of Mecklenburg ! "Whereupon Van Cleve 
waxed wroth. "I suppose," he says, "he was in jest, but I felt 
nettled, and observed that I ate three times a day, as I was 
accustomed to do at home, and ni}^ horse had to have hay and 



44 EARLY DAYTON 

oats ; that I had been on expense for forty or fifty days and on 
forty dollars ; and that I was a small matter behind with my 
landlord." Knox made no further objections, but ordered the 
necessary money to be paid to Van Cleve. 

Captain Brant arrived b}^ stage at the City Tavern on June 29, 
just as his horses stopped at the door, so that he gave his own 
receipt for the animals. It is stated in the Memoranda that the 
chief was "quite intelligent and communicative, wrote a decent 
hand, and was dressed more than half in the fashion of thewhites." 

Mr. Van Cleve returned to Philadelphia on the 30th of June. 
Knox gave him leave of absence until the nth of July to visit 
relatives in New Jersey. During his stay in Philadelphia he 
amused himself visiting friends, attending the play, drawing 
a plan of President Washington's new house, which was then 
building, and reading all the books he could get hold of. He 
purchased twenty-five volumes. He boarded with a Quaker 
family, and found profit and pleasure in attending the Friends' 
meeting and in reading Barclay's "Apology" and others of their 
books. "The landlord and landlady," he says, "assumed the 
exercise of parental authority over me, the same as over their own 
son. I believe I was more obedient to them, and a considerable 
share of mutual attachment took place. I felt regret at parting 
from them, and my good mother shed tears on the occasion." 

He left Philadelphia on the 25th of July with dispatches for 
General Wayne, who was at Wheeling, and for Colonel Cushing, 
the commandant at Fort Washington. On his return journey he 
followed the route over the Alleghanies he had traveled when 
emigrating from New Jersey in 1789, and found the roads much 
improved. On the way he turned aside to visit relatives, and was 
slightly reprimanded by General Wayne for his delay in deliver- 
ing the dispatches. The journey from Wheeling to Cincinnati 
was made by river. The party occupied two boats, commanded 
by Ensign Hunter, a sergeant, and corporal, who were conduct- 
ing to Ohio twenty-one recruits enlisted in New Jersey. One 
boat was loaded with oats and corn, and the other had on board a 
quantity of cannon-ball, two pieces of artillery, and a few boxes 
of shoes. Four recruits deserted at Wheeling, and Van Cleve 
turned out with a party of soldiers to search for them, but the 
men escaped capture. A good deal of whisky was drunk on 
board the boats, and the soldiers were "mellow" during nearly 
the whole voyage. One of the men entertained his companions 



EARLY SETTLERS 45 

by singing for half a da3- at a time. Ensign Hunter and his 
wife frequently visited Van Cleve's boat, and when alone with 
the soldiers he amused himself reading the twenty-five books he 
had bought at Philadelphia, finishing nearly all of them before 
he reached Cincinnati on the 3d of August, 1792. One day he 
and the sergeant and another person landed for a deer hunt, over- 
taking the boats further down the river. 

Van Cleve's expenses during his absence of one hundred and 
fourteen days were ^114.56^3. He served a month in the quarter- 
master's department after his return. Through some misunder- 
standing, he did not receive his paj^ for his services as express 
till the 15th of March, 1793. "I became tired and disgusted," 
he saj-s, " with their arrogant and ungenerous treatment, and in 
want of the money I begged that they would paj^ me something 
— anything that they thought I merited. There was no mail 
nor way for me to make it known or get redress at Philadelphia, 
and they were so good as to pay me five shillings per da3\" Yet 
the quartermaster professed to be satisfied with the manner in 
which he had discharged his duties, and with the bills of expense. 
"Paid Israel Ludlow for my lots in Cincinnati," he sa3^s, after 
concluding his account of the trip to Philadelphia, ' ' got bills of 
sale for them, and cleared and fenced them. I labored intolerably 
hard, so as to injure my health, and raised a fine crop of corn." 

In the winter of 1793 Van Cleve and Stacej' McDonough 
engaged with the arni}^ contractors, Elliott & Williams, to 
bring up salt and other articles from the Falls of the Ohio to 
Cincinnati. The contractors furnished a boat and one hundred- 
weight of flour for each trip, and paid six shillings sixpence 
freight per barrel. Van Cleve and his companions took the 
boat down themselves, but engaged hands at five dollars per week 
in Kentucky (where the farmers, when their summer work was 
over, were glad to get employment in the public service), who 
agreed to be ready, on certain days when the cargo for the return 
voyage was collected, to assist in loading the boat. They brought 
up one boat-load of salt and two of corn. By the ist of December 
Van Cleve cleared seventy-five dollars. The^- then reengaged 
with the contractors at fifteen dollars per month and went for a 
boat-load of salt, but did not receive their freight till January i, 
1794. The river was almost frozen over and they had a tedious 
return trip, not reaching Cincinnati till January- 25. 

In February, 1794, Captain Benham employed Benjamin Van 



46 EARLY DAYTON 

Cleve to open a sutler's store at Fort Greenville, the headquarters 
at this date of Wayne's legion. He took six packhorses to 
Greenville, loaded with stores and liquors, and in March returned 
to Cincinnati for another six-horse load. This was an unfortunate 
undertaking. He was twice robbed while at the fort, losing over 
fifty dollars in money, all his clothes, and some small articles. 
He also got into trouble at headquarters through a misunder- 
standing, sold the sutler's store, and left Fort Greenville penniless. 

On the 1 6th of May he again engaged in the contractors' 
employ, and on the 24tli was sent down the Ohio to Fort Massac 
with two boats loaded with provisions. A detachment of infantry 
and artillery commanded by Major Doyle and Captain Guion, and 
eight Chickasaw Indians, accompanied them. There were ten 
boats in the little fleet, which were directed to proceed in exact 
order. Van Cleve's boat, number seven, was heavily loaded and 
weak in hands, so that when all were rowing it could not keep 
up, and when all were drifting it outwent the other boats. As 
the Major had the reputation of being haught}^ arbitrary, and 
imperious, and had been nicknamed "King Do3de," Van Cleve 
thought it useless to explain matters to him. Sometimes num- 
ber seven would be ten miles ahead in the morning, and it would 
take the others with hard rowing half the day to overtake it. 
"The men," the Memoranda relates, "by that time would be 
pretty much fatigued, and we could manage to keep our place 
until night. We generally received a hearty volley of execrations 
for our disobedience of his orders. We returned mild excuses 
and determined to repeat the offense." 

At Saline, on June ii, "I observed," Van Cleve saj^s, "a fire 
on shore, and hailed, when two Canadian French hunters came 
to us with their canoes loaded with skins, bears' oil, and dogs. 
One of them had passed twenty-six years in the wilderness 
between Vincennes and the Illinois River. Before morning we 
found three others, who went along with us to hunt for us." 
The boats reached Fort Massac Jvine 12. On the 26th of June 
" King Doyle" unjustly ordered the arre.st of Van Cleve and his 
comrades. That day there arrived at Fort Massac a number of 
men who had been enlisted in Tennessee by ofiicers who had 
received commissions from Citizen Genet, ambassador from the 
French Republic to the United States. The real object of the 
visit of these French recruits was probably to examine the place, 
and ascertain the strength of the force assembled there ; but they 



EARLY SETTLERS 47 

stated that, having nothing else to do, they had volunteered to 
escort some salt-boats to Nashville, and had stopped out of 
curiosity to see the soldiers. They invited Van Cleve and his 
companions to take passage in their boat, and as the former was 
anxious to return home the offer was accepted. Neither Van 
Cleve nor his associates were interested in Genet's projects. 
One of Van Cleve' s party who had a public rifle went up to 
restore it to the Major, who, angry at his departure, cursed and 
struck him, and ordered him and his friends, who were in the 
boat but heard the command, to be taken to the guard-house. 
"The Major," Van Cleve states, "was walking backward and 
forward on top of the bank. With my gun in one hand and 
tomahawk in the other, and a knife eighteen inches long hang- 
ing at my side, dressed in a hunting-frock, breechcloth, and 
leggings, my countenance probably manifesting my excitement, 
I leaped out of the boat, and with a very quick step went up to 
the Major. I looked like a savage, and the Major, mistaking my 
intention, was alarmed and retired as I advanced." Finally, 
matters were explained to the satisfaction of both, and Van Cleve 
consented to remain till the 3d of July, when the Major intended 
to send a boat to the Falls of the Ohio. Van Cleve and his 
friends left on the appointed day, but growing tired of the 
societ}^ of the soldiers, determined on the 9th, at Red Banks, to 
make the remainder of the journey by land. 

Red Banks was on the border of Tennessee and Kentucky, and, 
as it was unknown as yet to which the place belonged, it was a 
lawless region and a refuge for thieves and rogues of all kinds 
who had "been able to effect their escape from justice in the 
neighboring States." At Red Banks our travelers saw a fellow 
named Kuykendall, who "always carried in his waistcoat pockets 
'devil's claws,' or rather weapons that he could slip his fingers 
in, and with which he could take off the whole side of a man's 
face at one claw." Kuykendall had just been married and a 
wedding ball was in progress when Van Cleve arrived, at the 
close of which festivities the bridegroom was murdered by some 
of the guests. 

On July II the travelers reached Green River. They each 
made a raft with an armful of wood and a grapevine to carry 
their gun and clothes "and then taking the vines in their mouth 
swam the river, dragging their rafts after them." During the 
four succeeding days they passed through an uninhabited wilder- 



48 EARIvY DAYTON 

ness. July 26 they arrived at Cincinnati. Spies employed by 
"Wayne's army had just come in for ammunition and were going 
to return on foot. They invited Van Cleve to join them, and he 
regretted that his feet and clothes were both almost worn out, 
and as he was unable to stand the journey he was obliged to 
decline the offer. 

On the 28tli of July he was emplo3-ed by the contractors to drive 
a drove of cattle to Fort Greenville. Nearly the whole of August 
he was very ill at Cincinnati. On his recovery, after pa3'ing 
doctor's and board bills and for some clothes, he had but a dollar 
left. Accordingly, though so weak that he could hardly walk, 
he engaged with the contractors to drive cattle to the army then 
at Fort Wayne, and was occupied with this business till Decem- 
ber. In January, 1795, he entered into partnership at Cincinnati 
with his brother-in-law, Jerome Holt, and Captain John Schooley. 
They farmed and also hauled quartermaster's supplies to Fort 
Washington and the outposts in their six-horse wagon. Van 
Cleve "worked hard, lived poor, and was very economical, and 
had about as much when he quit as when he began." 

In the fall of 1795 he accompanied Captain Dunlap to make 
the survey of the land purchased for the Dayton settlement. 
Surveyors endured much hardship. A hunter and a spy always 
accompanied surveying parties, for they were obliged to supply 
themselves with food from the woods, and to be on the watch 
against attacks from wandering bands of Indians. On the 26th 
of September Van Cleve records that their horse was missing, 
though he had been well secured when they camped for the 
night. Indians had probably stolen him. They hunted for him 
all day, but did not find him ; and were thenceforth obliged to 
carrj' the baggage themselves, though traveling on foot. When 
they arrived at the mouth of Mad River, the site of Dayton, thej^ 
found six Wyandot Indians camped there. At first both the 
white and the red men were a little alarmed ; but they talked 
together, and dicussed mutual grievances. Van Cleve's father 
had been killed by Indians, and the Wyandots had suffered 
in like manner from the white man. They admitted that both 
sides had reason for complaint, and that both were to blame, and 
they soon became friends and exchanged presents. ' ' The3^ gave 
us," Van Cleve says, "some venison jerk, and we in return 
gave them a little flour, salt, tobacco, and other small articles. 
At the request of one of them, I exchanged knives, giving him 




From a water-color portrait in possession of Mrs. Thomas Dover. Copjright, 1895, bj W. J. Bliuey. 

BENJAMIN VAN CLEVE. 



EARLY SETTLERS 49 

a very large one, scabbard, and belt that I carried for several 
5^ears, for his, which was not so valuable, with a worsted belt 
and a deerskin to boot." 

The ist of October their hunter and another man were sent 
forward to hunt and cook, and when, after a day of fasting and 
hard work, the surveyors reached camp they found that some 
Indians had robbed their men of most of the provisions, and 
"menaced their lives." On another occasion the surve3^ors 
fasted thirty-four hours, laboring and traveling most of the 
time, and the Memoranda describes the gusto with which they 
ate the big pot of mush and milk which was all the}^ had for 
supper when at last they reached a cabin. "October 3," Van 
Cleve writes, "it rained very hard, and the surveyor got his 
papers all wet and was about stopping. We had about a pound 
of meat, and, though we had nearl}' done our business, were 
thinking of setting off for home. I undertook to keep the field- 
notes, and hit on the expedient of taking them down on tablets 
of wood with the point of my knife, so I could understand them 
and take them off again on paper." They returned to Cincinnati 
on the 4th of October. 

On the ist of November Van Cleve went again to Mad River. 
A lottery was held, and he drew lots in and near Dayton for him- 
self and others, and "engaged to become a settler in the spring." 
This winter, when not surveying, Benjamin Van Cleve wrote in 
the recorder's office at Cincinnati. In March, 1796, as already 
related, he accompanied his mother and several others to Dayton. 
In his diary he made this simple and characteristic record of their 
arrival at their new home: "April i, 1796. Landed at Dayton, 
after a passage of ten days, William Gahagan and myself 
having come with Thompson's and McClure's families in a large 
pirogue." 

Van Cleve raised a very good crop of corn at Dayton this 
year, but most of it was destroyed. He sold his possessions in 
Cincinnati, but "sunk the price of his lots." He gave eighty 
dollars for a yoke of oxen and one of them was shot, and twenty 
dollars for a cow and it died ; so that at the close of 1796 he was 
about fort}' dollars in debt. The next year his farming was also 
unsuccessful, and he lost $16.17 and gained nothing. In the fall 
of 1796 he accompanied Israel Ludlow and W. C. Schenck to 
survey the United States military lands between the Scioto and 
Muskingum rivers. "We had deep snow," he says, "covered 
4 



50 



EARLY DAYTON 



with crust. The weather was cold and still, so that we could kill 
but little game, and we were twenty-nine days without bread, and 
nearly all that time without salt, and sometimes very little to eat. 
We were five days — seven in company — on four meals, and they, 
except the last, scanty. They consisted of a turkey, two young 
raccoons, and the last day some rabbits and veni,son, which we got 
from some Indians." In February, 1798, he began the study of 
surveying in Cincinnati, boarding at Captain Benham's. He 
was promised a district in the United States lands by Israel 
Ludlow, who had the power of filling blank commissions from 
the Surveyor-General, but who, as on the former occasion, never 
fulfilled his promise. After completing his studies, he "assisted 
Avery in his tavern during the sitting of court, and for some 
time afterwards posted books for several persons, and wrote for 
a short time in the quartermaster's department at Fort Wash- 
ington." He had been waiting in Cincinnati all summer, hoping 
to be employed as a surveyor, and was now again put off. He 
therefore returned to Dayton. On his arrival, having nothing 
else to do, he dug a sawmill pit for D. C. Cooper, proprietor of 
the town. From working in so damp and chilly a place he caught 
a violent cold, and had rheumatism and fever, succeeded by 
pleurisy. He had been forced to sell his preemption rights and 
outlots in Dayton, but in 1799 rented some ground and raised an 
excellent crop of corn. 




CHAPTER III 

PIONEER LIFE 

Two Houses on Main Street in 1799— Small Size of Cabins— Description by 
W. C. Howells of a Home of the Period — Newcom's Tavern, First House 
In Dayton, Chinked with Mortar — Corner Monument Avenue and Main 
Street the Business Center of Dayton — First White Child Born in Dayton — 
Biography of Colonel Newcom — Wearisome Journey Through the Woods 
to Dayton — Campi ng at Night — Neweom 's Tavern Described — Relics — Old 
Clocli and Brass Candlestick — First County Court Held at Tavern — Money 
Scarce — Convicted Persons Fined a Deerskin or a Bushel of Corn — Sen- 
tenced to Thirty-Nine Lashes on Bare Back — Sheriff" Newcom's Primitive 
Prison a Corn-Crib and a Dry Well— -Anecdotes of Visits of Troublesome 
Indians to the Tavern — Colonel Newcom Introduces Apples— First Wed- 
ding in Dayton — Benjamin Van Cleve's Characteristic Account of the 
Event— Mr. Van Cleve's Hospitality to Strangers — Usefulness to the New 
Town — W. C. Howells's Description of Social Life in Pioneer Times — Fire- 
Hunting on the Miami — Women Helped Their Husbands in the Fields — 
Dependent on the Husband's and Father's Gun for Meals — Pelts and 
Bears' Oil Articles of Merchandise — Skins Used for Clothes, Moccasins, 
Rugs, and Coverlets — Business Conducted by Barter — Ginseng, Peltries, 
Beeswax, etc.. Used as Money — Cut-Money or Sharp Shins— Charges Made 
in Pounds, Shillings, and Pence— Wild Animals — First Mill, a Corn- 
Cracker, Built by D. C. Cooper— Log Meeting-House Built— Dayton First 
Governed Wholly by County Commissioners and Township Assessors— 
D. C. Cooper Justice of the Peace— Early Marriages— Petition Presented 
to Congress by Settlers — The Town Nearly Dies Out — D. C. Cooper, Titular 
Proprietor, Resuscitates It — Town Plats — Basis of Titles — Ohio a State — 
Montgomery Separated from Hamilton County — Population Increases 
— First Election — First County Court— Mr. Cooper Builds Saw- and Grist- 
Mills— Levees — New Graveyard — Log-Cabin Meeting-House Sold— New 
First Presbyterian Church — Mr. Cooper's Death — P'irst Jail. 

The only buildings in 1799 on Main Street within view of the 
blockhouse on the site of the Soldiers' Monument were New- 
com's log tavern, two stories in height, and containing four 
rooms, built in the winter of 1798-1799, and George Westfall's 
cabin of one room and a loft, on the southeast corner of the 
alley between First Street and Monument Avenue. One won- 
ders how a family of five or six could live in a diminutive house 
like the latter. W. C. Howells, father of the novelist, in his 
"Recollections of Ohio," published in the spring of 1895, de- 

51 



52 EARLY DAYTON 

scribes such a cabin, into which two families, one of them his 
father's, — cultivated, refined people, — were crowded for four days 
and nights, and which was the home of the Howells family, num- 
bering nine, for several months. This log cabin was eighteen by 
twenty feet in size, and with a loft overhead, in the highest part 
of which you could make a bed on the floor. The cabin con- 
tained fourteen persons during the crowded period mentioned — 
eight grown people and six children. Mr. Howells says: "As 
I write this in a house where there would be a room for each, I 
do not myself see how it was managed. But that was fifty years 
ago, and people put up with worse things. The fact is, there 
was no alternative, and when it is that or nothing we can do 
many odd things." In those days people rolled up in a bear- 
skin or blanket and slept on the puncheon floor or out-of-doors 
in summer on the grass. 

It is difficult for people with modern ideas of space and privacy 
to comprehend how a small house like Newcom's Tavern could 
have afforded accommodations for travelers, for a store, church, 
court-house, and jail. But Mr. Howells throws some light on 
this question also. Describing a journey in a wagon, he says : 
"We stopped at night at a tavern, as was the custom, only hiring 
the use of one room on the first floor, known as the movers' 
room, and the privilege of the fire to make tea or coffee, or fry 
bacon. It was very much like camping out, save that we were 
housed at soldiers' quarters." The movers' room of a tavern was 
also, no doubt, often used for meetings of the court or of the 
church. Mr. Howells says that cabins sometimes contained a 
four-light window, with greased paper for glass, but it was very 
common for log cabins to have no windows whatever. In ex- 
tremely cold weather the door would be closed, and likewise at 
night, but mostly, by keeping a good fire, the door could be left 
open for light and ventilation ; and the chimneys were so wide 
and so low, very often not as high as the one-story house, that 
they afforded as much light as a small window. These chimneys 
were always outside the house at one end. The manner of build- 
ing them was to cut through the logs at the gable-end a space of 
six or eight feet wide and five or six feet high, and logs were 
built to this opening like a bay-window ; this recess was then 
lined with a rough stone wall up as high as this opening ; from 
that point a smoke-stack was built of small sticks split out of 
straight wood, and laid cob-house fashion to the height desired, 



^^^^^^^^^^^^K^^^^^^^^^^ 




Hj 






E 



From a daguerreotype in possession of 3Ira. Josiah Gebhart. 

COLONEL GEORGE NEWC03I. 



PIONEER LIFE 53 

and then plastered inside and out with clay, held together by- 
straw. 

In 1799 lime was made in Dayton for the first time, from stones 
gathered from the bed of the river and piled on a huge log fire, 
which took the place of a kiln. Newcom's Tavern was the first 
house chinked and plastered with lime mortar instead of clay. 
"A wondering country boy, on his return from the village, 
reported to his astonished family that Colonel Newcom was 
plastering his house with flour." 

The southwest corner of Monument Avenue and Main Street 
was the business center of Dayton Township for five or six 
years. If a crowd was possible in such a hamlet, it assembled 
there when court was in session, as in 1803, or when there was 
a meeting to organize for defense against the Indians, or to 
attend to religious or political affairs. All travelers on horse- 
back, on foot, or in wagons, prospectors hunting for land, emi- 
grants, farmers and their wives in town for the day, stopped at 
Newcom's Tavern to eat or sleep, shop, attend to law business, 
get a drink of water from the only well in the township or a 
glass of something stronger, or to rest and gossip around the 
roaring log fire, where the villagers loved to gather. April 14, 
1800, Jane Newcom, the first child born in Dayton, was born at 
her father's tavern. She married Nathaniel Wilson. Mrs. Josiah 
Gebhart, daughter of Mrs. Wilson and granddaughter of Colonel 
Newcom, has portraits of both these pioneers in her possession. 

The interest that is felt in the preservation of Newcom's Tavern 
renders the career of the builder of that historic house, a man 
who " enjoyed the respect of the whole community," of import- 
ance. Colonel George Newcom was born in Ireland and brought 
to this country by his parents in 1775. The Newcoms settled 
first in Delaware, removing afterwards to the neighborhood of 
Middletown, Pennsylvania. George Newcom married IVIary Hen- 
derson, of Washington County, Pennsylvania. They had three 
children, one of whom died before they came to Dayton. The 
second child, John W., had several children, all of whom died 
young, except Martha A., who married John E. Greer, of Day- 
ton. The third child, Jane, as already stated, married Nathaniel 
Wilson, and four of her nine children lived to be well known in 
Dayton — Clinton, Mrs. Mary J. Hunt, Mrs. Elizabeth Bowen, 
and INIrs. Josiah Gebhart. 

In March, 1796, George Newcom and his wife left Cincinnati 



54 EARLY DAYTO:^ 

( where they had arrived about 1794) for the site of Dayton. Three 
other families and five unmarried men were of the party. It took 
them two weeks to make the trip of sixty miles over the almost 
unbroken roads, and very wearisome and uncomfortable was the 
journey. The weather was damp and cold, rainy, and spitting- 
snow. Camping at night in the wet woods was a trying experi- 
ence, though hatchet and ax furnished fuel for a blazing fire, 
kindled by rubbing together pieces of punk or rotten wood, and 
their rifles supplied them with food from the surrounding forest. 
Beds were made by spreading blankets over brush. In the early 
morning mothers and children arose, shivering and unrefreshed ; 
breakfast was prepared, horses fed and packed b}- men cold, tired, 
and discouraged, and another day's journey begun. 

The road from Cincinnati to Hamilton had been used so much 
by United States troops that it was tolerably good, but the 
rough, narrow road from Hamilton to Dayton was often almost 
impassable for heavily laden horses. Even the women seem 
to have walked most of the way. The men drove the cattle 
and led the packhorses. In creels, suspended from either 
side of the pack-saddles, were carried bedding, clothing, cook- 
ing utensils, tableware, provisions, tools, implements, and 
children too small to walk, their heads only appearing above. 
"When the party came to small streams, they felled trees and 
made foot-bridges. It was necessary to build rafts to carry men, 
women, children, and freight across large creeks, and horses and 
cattle swam over. Driving the cattle, which would stray from 
the road and occasion delay till they were found, was troublesome 
and provoking business. Finally, the part}- reached the mouth 
of Mad River, and found friends awaiting them, the other two 
companies of settlers having arrived a few days sooner. 

Colonel Newcom built a cabin of one room and a loft on the 
southwest corner of Main Street and Monument Avenue as soon 
as he arrived, which in the winter of 1 798-1 799 gave place to the 
tavern of two stories and four rooms. This latter house is 
usually described as tavern, store, court-house, and jail, though 
the jail, in two separate "apartments," was really in the back 
yard, where was also a log barn. When large parties stopped at 
Newcom's Tavern, probably they occupied a movers' room and 
looked after themselves. But when one or two travelers alighted 
with their saddle-bags, they were no doubt made literal guests 
and taken into the family as if they were friends or relations. It 



PIONEER LIFE 55 

was a typical frontier tavern, the host and hostess, as was the 
universal custom in private houses, assisting in doing the work 
of the tavern, and often even the stable, with their own hands. 
On the kitchen mantel of the tavern stood tall brass candlesticks, 
one of which is now in the possession of Mrs. Josiah Gebhart. 
In a corner ticked the large, old-fashioned clock, six feet or more 
in height. It is now in the possession of Mr. Charles W. Geb- 
hart, wound regularly with the key that Colonel Newcom used, 
and keeping as excellent time as it did a hundred years ago. In 
the kitchen also stood a dresser laden with pewter dishes, which 
shone like silver. 

The first county court was opened in an upper room in New- 
corn's Tavern Julj- 27, 1803, b}- Hon. Francis Dunlevy, presiding 
judge of the first judicial district. Benjamin Van Cleve was 
clerk pro tern.; Daniel Symmes, of Cincinnati, prosecutor pro 
tern.; George Newcoui, sheriff; and James Miller, coroner. The 
law fixing the county-seat at Dayton, which went into force in 
May, 1803, also directed that the court should assemble "at the 
house of George Newcom, in the town of Dayton." As there 
was no business to transact, court adjourned on the evening of 
the day it assembled. Nearly all the men in Montgomery County 
flocked to Nevvcom's on July 27. The opening of court was the 
occasion of universal excitement and amusement in that stag- 
nant, back-countr}^ region. The judges and lawyers slept the 
night of the 27th in one room at the tavern, and left early the 
next morning on horseback to open court at Xenia. The second 
session of court — November 22, 1803 — was held under the trees 
back of Newcom' s Tavern, aad the aid of the sheriff was required 
to disperse the curious crowd which was listening, not only to 
the testimony of witnesses, but to the presumably secret discus- 
sions of the jury. Seven cases were tried, and court adjourned 
next day. 

As money was scarce, persons convicted b3' the court were fined 
a certain number of deer or other skins, or an amount of corn or 
pork. Small offenses were often punished by from one to thirty- 
nine lashes on the bare back, well laid on, the sentence being 
executed by Sheriff Newcom as soon as pronounced. There was 
no regular jail, and Colonel Newcom confined white prisoners in 
a dry well on his lot. " The pit was drj' and there was no water 
in it," as Curwen, the witty first historian of Daj-ton says, "and 
following the example of Old Testament jailers, he let down 



S6 EARLY DAYTON 

those who broke the peace of the State, and there they remained 
till brought up for trial." When drunken and troublesome 
Indians were placed in his keeping, he bound them and confined 
them in his corn-crib. 

Visits of Indians were a great nuisance to pioneers, whether 
they were friendly or the reverse. They were in the habit of 
calling white people by their Christian names, and would stand 
outside the Newcom house, carefully closed against them, shout- 
ing "Polly, Polly," and if Mrs. Newcom persisted in refusing to 
admit them, would fill their hands with corn from the crib and 
throw it through the chinks between the logs of the cabin, 
which were not always well filled with plaster. One day Colonel 
Newcom came home and found his wife at the wash-tub and an 
Indian bespattered with blood bending over her with a toma- 
hawk. The Colonel demanded what this meant, and the Indian 
replied that "Polly" was washing his shirt. He had compelled 
]\Irs. Newcom to get a tub of water and wash the shirt, which 
was soaked with blood, whether of man or wild beast Mrs. New- 
com did not learn. Colonel Newcom sprung upon the Indian, 
gave him a severe beating, bound him with strong rope, and 
threw him into the corn-crib. In a short time the Indian was 
discovered running towards Mad River, and was never seen nor 
heard of again. How he managed to untie the rope and escape 
is an unsolved mystery. 

Once, when Mrs. Newcom was ill, a crowd of excited Indians 
burst into the room where she lay and ordered Colonel Newcom 
to get them a rope, as they wished to bind one oi their number 
who had offended them. Mrs. Newcom was afraid to be left 
alone with the Indians, and sat up and begged her husband not 
to get the rope. Thereupon one of the Indians pushed her back 
with great violence on the bed. Terrified at the threatening 
manner of the angry rufl&ans, she caught up her baby, Jane, and 
fled into the hazel bushes as far from the house as she was able 
to go, not returning till Colonel Newcom had got rid of the 
intruders. 

Colonel Newcom introduced apples into Dayton. Previously 
the settlers had no fruit but the wild growth of the woods and 
prairies. He brought a number of apples from Cincinnati, 
called the citizens together, and gave different varieties of the fruit 
to whoever desired to plant the seed. He planted seed on his 
farm, now the home of Mr. P. E. Gilbert, on Huflfman Avenue, 



PIONEER LIFE 57 

setting out the tiny trees in an orchard when they were only a 
few inches high. This orchard was cut down a year ago. 

Colonel Newcom was the first sheriff of Montgomery County, 
and held other ofi&ces. He was a member of the Ohio Legislature 
for twenty-three consecutive years — first as a senator and after- 
wards as a member of the lower house. When the Legislature 
spent time uselessly on business of little importance, he would 
berate his fellow members for wasting the people's money by 
long sessions when all important affairs could have been crowded 
into a short period. He served as a soldier in Wayne's campaign 
against the Indians in 1794, and also in the War of 1812. April 
3, 1834, his first wife died. He married Elizabeth Bowen, June 
22, 1836. She died October 29, 1850. Colonel Newcom lived to 
be eighty-two, and died February 25, 1853. 

August 28, 1800, is noted as the date of the first wedding in 
Dayton. On that day Benjamin Van Cleve was married to Mary 
Whitten at her father's house on his farm a short distance from 
town. Mr. Van Cleve makes this characteristic record of the 
event in his diary: "This year I raised a crop of corn and 
determined on settling myself, and having a home ; I accordingly, 
on the 28th of August, married Mary Whitten, daughter of John 
Whitten, near Dayton. She was young, lively, and ingenuous. 
M}' property was a horse creature, and a few farming utensils, 
and her father gave her a few household or kitchen utensils, so 
that we could make shift to cook our provisions ; a bed, a cow 
and heifer, an ewe and two lambs, a sow and pigs, and a saddle 
and spinning-wheel. I had corn and vegetables growing, so that 
if we were not rich we had sufficient for our immediate wants, 
and we were contented and happy." Mr. Van Cleve's marriage 
was a benefit to the community, for it enabled him to exercise 
that open-handed hospitality to strangers which was a trait of 
the public-spirited pioneers. The writer of an obituary notice 
of him published in the Da3'ton Watchman, in 1821, says : "He 
has been a leading character in this count}^ and has taken an 
active part in promoting its interests. By using system in his 
business, he found leisure from his duties as clerk of the court, 
postmaster, and his private affairs, to do much for the public 
good ; and the strangers that passed through town found in 
Mr. Van Cleve one who was able and took pleasure in giving 
them information." 

Ohio was a new and unknown country at the beginning of the 



58 EARLY DAYTON 

nineteenth century, and travelers and land prospectors were un- 
able to obtain from books or newspapers the facts they desired in 
regard to soil, climate, population, and business. It was, there- 
fore, greatly to the advantage of a recently settled town and 
county to have within their borders one like Mr. Van Cleve, 
who was not only a good talker, but a perfect mine of informa- 
tion (he had, while surveying, traveled over nearly every foot of 
ground in this neighborhood), and also willing to take the time 
and trouble to instruct inquiring visitors, who, if properly 
approached, might be induced to become permanent settlers. He 
understood farming, and cultivated his quarter-section, one hun- 
dred and sixt}' acres, now within the corporation, in the eastern 
part of town, and a valuable inheritance for his descendants. 

Benjamin and Mary W. Van Cleve had five children : John 
Whitten, born June 27, 1801, died, unmarried, September 6, 1858, 
as remarkable a man and as useful a citizen as his father. William 
James, born 1803, died 1808. Henrietta Maria, born November 
16, 1805, married Samuel B. Dover, September 21, 1824, surviv- 
ing him ; she married Joseph Bond November 4, 1858, and died 
May 18, 1879. Her descendants now living are two daughters, 
Mrs. Sophia Simpson, of Dayton, and Mrs. Mary A. Dill, of Union 
City, Indiana; William Simpson, of Dayton, Dr. Moses Simp- 
son, Freehold, New Jersey, — children of Mrs. Sophia Simpson, — 
and the sons and daughters of Thomas Dover, deceased, — Fay 
and Samuel, of Dayton; John, living in California; Mrs. Anna 
McKnight, of Dayton. Her third daughter, Phebe, married 
Euiery Belden, and her daughter lives in Dayton. The fourth 
daughter is dead, but has a son and daughter living in the city. 
The fourth child of Benjamin Van Cleve was Mary Cornelia, born 
December 2, 1807 ; married James Andrews, November 20, 1827, 
and died February 19, 1878; children. Miss America Andrews 
and Mrs. Laura Poling, of Dayton, and I. W. Andrews, of 
Kansas City; grandchildren, Mrs. Edith Allison, Dayton; 
Dr. J. Andrews, Mansfield ; Mrs. Alice Yoke, Lewisburg ; Harrj^ 
C. Andrews, Grace and Clifford Andrews, Dayton ; Earl and 
Charley Andrews, Cambridge City. The youngest child of 
Benjamin Van Cleve, Sarah Sophia, was born November, 1809; 
married David C. Baker, Februar}^ 11, 1830, and died October 
18, 1839. Her children live in Indiana or Kansas. Mr. Van 
Cleve's first wife died in 1810. In 1812 he married Mary Tamp- 
lin. The}' had no children. She died in 1825. 



PIONEER LIFE 59 

W. C. Howells (who, bj^ the way, lived in Daj'ton and edited 
the Transcript in 1850) saj^s of pioneer times: "Particularly- 
remarkable was the general equality and the general dependence 
of all upon the neighboring kindness and good offices of others. 
The houses and barns were built of logs, and were raised by the 
collection of many neighbors together on one day, whose united 
strength was necessary to the handling of the logs. This kind 
of mutual help by the neighbors was extended to many kinds of 
work, such as rolling up and burning the logs in a clearing, 
grubbing out the underbrush, splitting rails, cutting logs for 
a house, and the like. When a gathering of men for such a pur- 
pose took place, there was commonly some sort of mutual job 
laid out for women, such as quilting (patchwork was the art 
embroidery of that era), sewing, or spinning up a lot of thread 
for some poor neighbor." Corn-huskings and maple-sugar camps 
were also jolly resorts in their seasons. An abundant supper, 
which the women who were guests helped prepare, was served on 
such festive occasions, and dancing and kissing games finished 
the evening. Singing- and grammar- or spelling-schools were 
also pioneer amusements of men and women of all ages. A favor- 
ite sport of the settlers was fire-hunting, which Curwen thus 
describes: "The deer came down to the river to drink in the 
evening, and sheltered themselves for the night under the )3ushes 
which grew along the shore. As soon as they were quiet, the 
hunters in pirogues paddled slowly up the stream, the steersman 
holding aloft a burning torch of dried hickorj' bark, by the light 
of which the deer was discovered and fired on. If the shot was 
successful, the party landed, skinned the animal, hung the car- 
cass to a tree, to be brought home in the morning, and then 
proceeded to hunt more game. ' ' Fire-hunting must have been a 
beautiful spectacle to the women and children watching it from 
the Monument Avenue bank of the Miami. 

Women helped their husbands and brothers in all possible 
ways in those days, even when used to town life in the East. If 
extra work out-of-doors was needed, the wife or daughter would 
be called on to aid, and sometimes they would assist in planting 
and hoeing the corn and raking the grain or hay in harvest. All 
was country in Dayton ninety-five years ago, in spite of four or 
five cabins on the town plat. W. D. Howells, speaking of his 
father's sympathetic account of pioneer life, says "He did not 
deceive himself concerning the past. He knew that it was often 



6o EARLY DAYTON 

rude and hard and coarse ; but under the rough and sordid aspect 
he was aware of the warm heart of humanity in which, quite as 
much as in the brain, all civility lies." In 1S04-1810, when 
one-roomed log cabins began to give way to neat dwellings of 
several rooms, and new settlers built brick buildings for country 
stores, their educated and well-bred wives used to aid them by 
molding candles and making ginger cakes, rolls, root-beer, and 
other articles for sale. 

In the earlier years of our history settlers' families were often 
dependent upon the father's gun for a breakfast or dinner, and 
hunting was oftener an occupation than an amusement. Deer 
and bears were killed in large numbers for both their pelts and 
flcvsh, and the bears also for their oil. Deerskin was made into 
men's clothes and moccasins, and bearskins were used as rugs 
and coverlets. The meat, and also that of wild birds, was 
salted and eaten as we eat dried beef. Racoon skins were in 
demand for winter caps. Pelts of various kinds were used 
instead of money. 

There was little money in circulation, and business in the 
Northwest Territory was chiefly conducted by barter of articles 
that were easily transported on packhorses, such as ginseng, 
peltries, and beeswax, which had fixed values. A muskrat skin 
passed for twenty-five cents ; a buckskin for one dollar ; a doe- 
skin for one dollar and fifty cents ; a bearskin for from three to five 
dollars ; a pair of cotton stockings cost a buckskin ; a yard of 
calico cost two muskrat skins ; a set of knives and forks, a bear- 
skin ; a yard of shirting, a doeskin ; a pair of moccasins, a coon- 
skin, or thirty-seven and a half cents. The want of small change 
led the pioneers of the Ohio Valley to invent what was called cut- 
money, or vSharp shins. They cut small coins, chiefly Spanish, 
into quarters, and circulated them as readily as money that had 
not been tampered with. American merchants had not yet 
learned to use the United States currency, and their charges were 
in pounds, shillings, and pence. In 1799 Hyson tea was sixteen 
shillings tenpence per pound ; loaf sugar, four shillings ; flour, 
eighteen shillings tenpence per one hundred pounds ; pork, 
eighteen shillings ninepence ; beef, twenty -two shillings six- 
pence ; work, groceries, and dry goods were often paid for in corn 
or pork. 

The habits and s.urroundings of the people were ver}' primi- 
tive. Wildcats and panthers strong enough to carry off a live 




From a photograph io poaseaaion of Mrs. Jwsiah (iebhart. 

MKS. JANE NEWCOM WILSON. 




From a photograph in posaession of Mrs. Josiah Gebhart. 
NATHANIEL WILSON, 



PIONEER LIFE 6l 

hog prowled in the surrounding woods, and wolves, which 
destro3?ed stock, poultry, and young vegetables, were shot by 
moonlight through the chinks of the cabins. The wolves howled 
from dusk till dawn like innumerable dogs, as any one who has 
visited prairie countries can understand. 

An event in the lives of the people of this region was the build- 
ing, by Daniel C. Cooper, the greatest benefactor of early Dayton, 
on Rubicon Creek, which ran through his farm, now the site of 
the Cash Register Works, of a tub-mill or "corn-cracker," run by 
water, which began to be used in the winter of 1 799-1800. No 
flour could be obtained, and previous to this date meal was ground 
in hand-mills, three or four hours of tiresome work being neces- 
sary to grind enough to last one small family a single day. This 
tub-mill was a rough affair, and the sides were not inclosed, but 
settlers brought their corn to it from nearly the whole of the Miami 
Valley, and from up Mad River as far as Springfield. Curwen, 
our first historian, says that Mr. Cooper "obtained all the custom 
of town, and took toll from the Trojans and Pequods." 

In the spring of 1800 the people of Dayton and the surrounding 
countr}^ got out logs and built the first Presbyterian meeting- 
house on the corner of Main and Third streets, where Callahan's 
block now stands, D. C. Cooper having given two lots for a 
church and graveyard. Before this the Presbyterians had held 
services in Newcom's Tavern or the blockhouse. The log-cabin 
meeting-house was eighteen by twenty feet in size, seven logs 
high, and raised two feet from the ground by pieces of log placed 
upright under each corner. The seats and doorsteps were logs, 
and it had a puncheon floor and a clapboard roof, secured by 
weight poles. It had no windows, but sufiicient air and light 
entered by the door and between the logs, the chinks being 
unfilled. Hazel bushes and small trees entirely hid it from view 
of passers up or down Main Street. It was approached by a 
narrow path, which wound through the uncleared graveyard. 

Dayton was originally in Hamilton County, which included 
the counties now known as ]\Iontgomery, Greene, Clark, Cham- 
paign, Logan, and Shelby, and other territory-, and was governed 
b}^ county commissioners and township assessors. Dayton had 
no other government till 1799, when Daniel C. Cooper was ap- 
pointed justice of the peace. He served three years and seven 
months and tried one hundred and eighteen cases. Eighteen of 
them were certified as settled and the rest as ".satisfied." 



62 EARLY DAYTON 

The Territorial law permitted the marriage "of male persons 
of the age of eighteen and female persons of the age of fourteen, 
and not nearer of kin than first cousins." But it was necessary 
that notice should be given, either in writing posted at some con- 
spicuous place within the township where the woman resided, or 
publicly declared on two days of public worship. Sometimes a 
notice written on a piece of paper, and signed " D. C. Cooper, 
Justice of the Peace," was tacked to the trunk of a large forest 
tree close to a road. Early marriages were so much the custom 
that respectable parents saw with approbation young daughters 
who at the present day would still be in the school-room married 
to men who were mere boys in age. A girl of fifteen was as 
much a young lady in 1800 as a girl of twenty at the present day. 

The county expenses for 1797 were as follows: Assessor, 
James Brady, $5.20, paid by the treasurer out of the first money 
that came into his hands ; Cyrus Osborn, constable of Dayton, 
I1.90, "for his trouble and attention in executing the commis- 
sioners' warrant for ascertaining taxable propert3^" He also 
received "fifty cents for one quire of paper used in the aforesaid 
business." The commissioners each received $7.50, and $14.34 
was expended by the county for stationery. The ofiicers of 
Dayton Township in 1798 were James Thompson, constable ; 
Daniel C. Cooper, assessor; George Newcom, collector. Mr. 
Cooper's fees were $7.20. Twenty-two taxpayers lived in 
Dayton in 1798, and the taxes amounted to $29.74. In 1801 
Benjamin Van Cleve was appointed to make a list of free male 
inhabitants twenty-one years old and over. The danger of 
attacks from Indians, as well as the need of men to clear lands, 
rendered it as necessary to ascertain how many men in the 
township were able to bear arms or wield an ax as to learn 
the names of taxpayers and the value of their property. Mr. 
Van Cleve saj-s, "The number of free males over twenty-one 
years old, between the two Miamis, from the south line of the 
township to the head of Mad River and the Great INIiami, was 
three hundred and eighty-two ; east of the Little Miami, less 
than twenty." 

The high hopes with which the little bands of settlers had 
made their way through the woods and by river to Dayton 
seemed at first doomed to disappointment, as the following 
quotation from a petition of the settlers to Congress, probably 
written by Benjamin Van Cleve about 1802 or 1803, shows: 



PIONEER IvIPE 63 

"On the 5th of November, 1795, forty-six persons engaged to 
become settlers at Dayton, but from the many difficulties in 
forming a new settlement so far in the wilderness country, only 
fifteen of these came forward, and four others, making nineteen 
in all. These settlements were formed by your petitioners a few 
months after the treaty of Greenville, when we had no faith in 
the friendship of the savages. Our settlement was immediately 
on their hunting-grounds. We were not able to keep a horse 
amongst us during the first season by reason of their stealing. 
The scarcity of provisions had raised flour to nine dollars a 
barrel, and other articles in proportion, which we had to trans- 
port fifty miles through a wilderness, clearing roads, etc. Under 
all these and many more difiiculties we labored, in hopes of 
obtaining our lands at a low rate, and the small gratuity offered. 
Several of your petitioners have not been able to procure any 
land ; others laid their claims before the commissioners agreeably 
to the late law, and purchased at two dollars per acre. We beg 
leave to state to your honorable body that the proprietors have 
been at vast expense, labor, and difficulty in forming the said 
settlement, and have received no recompense nor privilege other 
than subsequent settlers ; that the}^ first opened a way in conse- 
quence of which the country has become populous, and the 
United States has received a handsome revenue from the sale of 
the lands ; that the town of Dayton is purchased by a subsequent 
settler. We pray that Congress will make us such gratuity in 
lands, or deduction for payments for lands, or grant such other 
relief as our case merits." 

Symmes and St. Clair and his associates had paid two-thirds 
of a dollar per acre for land, and sold at a small advance. But 
the Government raised the price, and Benjamin Van Cleve says in 
his diary : ' ' Mr. Ludlow, who was one of the proprietors and 
agent for them, informed me that they relinquished their claim 
on account of the rising price ; that they could not afford to pay 
two dollars." 

It was at this time that Daniel C. Cooper became titular pro- 
prietor of the town by purchase of preemption rights and agree- 
ments with the settlers. Each of the original settlers received a 
donation of an inlot and an outlot, which he or his representative 
drew at the lottery held at the mouth of Mad River November 4, 
1795. When the original proprietors failed and retired, settlers 
were obliged to pay two dollars an acre, one dollar for a town 
lot, and did it willingly, at the Cincinnati land office to secure 
these "donations." The town nearly died out between 1802 and 
1803. Four cabins were vacant and only five families lived 
here — those of George Newcom, Sann;el Tliompson, John Welsh, 
Paul D. Butler, and George W^estfall. The Van Cleve brothers 



64 EARLY DAYTON 

and William Newcom and John Williams were farming. The 
McClures and Arnett had moved away. But Mr. Cooper brought 
the town to life again, and secured satisfactory titles by patent 
or deed. Mr. Cooper made several plats of the town ; that of 
1805 provided for a little park at the intersection of Main and 
Third streets, with a court-house in the center. In 1809 he made 
a revised plat to conform to deeds and patents, and to the plat 
made by the original proprietors in 1795, and to this plat all 
subsequent additions have been made. Prior to the record of 
this plat of 1809, property was seldom transferred by deed ; the 
county commissioners established a rule that that party would 
be recognized as the owner of a lot whose name appeared 
on the plat opposite any lot number ; thus, to pass the title of 
a piece of property from one person to another, all that vi^as 
necessary was a verbal request of the owner to have the pur- 
chaser's name placed in the list instead of his own. Of these 
transactions, be they few or many, no record has been preserved, 
but instead of such record a perfect list of lot owners at the time 
the plat of 1809 was recorded, forms the basis of title to all the 
original three hundred and twenty-one lots of Dayton. 

At first, county and township ofiicers were appointed by the 
Territorial governor and courts. In 1802 Ohio became a State, 
and Montgomery was separated from Hamilton Count}'. Popu- 
lation had now increased till it was thought best to authorize an 
election by the people of additional oificers. Jerome Holt, sheriff 
of the county, was directed to give notice to the inhabitants of 
Dayton Township to convene at the house of George Newcom 
and proceed to elect bj- ballot a chairman, town clerk, three or 
more trustees or managers, two or more overseers of the poor, 
three fence-viewers, two appraisers of houses, a lister of taxable 
property, a sufficient number of supervisors of roads, and one or 
more constables. The first county court was opened in an upper 
room at Newcom's Ji:ly 27 of this year. In March, 1803, the first 
State Legislature, at Chillicothe, recommended Daj'ton for the 
county-seat, and the selection was confirmed in April by the com- 
missioners appointed to designate county-seats. The half-deserted 
backwoods village of Dayton seemed an unpromising place for a 
countj^-seat. But it was the nucleus of a number of farming 
settlements, and was the principal hamlet in the township. The 
growth and improvement of Dayton was marked after it became 
the county-seat. The taxes for 1804 amounted to ^58.40. Main 



PIONEER LIFE 65 

Street was cleared to Warren Street in 1804, and the gully at the 
Main and Third Street crossing filled with walnut logs cut in 
the woods where Catlicart's livery-stable now stands. 

This year Mr. Cooper built a sawmill on First Street and a 
grist-mill at the head of Mill Street, to which in 1809 he added 
a carding-machine. He built a levee for the protection of his 
Mill Street property. At an early date Mr. Cooper employed 
Silas Broadwell to build a levee to protect the western part of the 
town, agreeing to give him certain lots in its vicinity in payment 
for making it and keeping it in repair. The levee began at 
Wilkinson Street, and ran west a considerable distance with the 
meanderings of the Miami. 

When Mr. Cooper gave lots on the east side of Main Street, 
opposite the Court-house, for a church and graveyard, they 
were considered so far out of the way that it was not supposed 
that the town would extend much beyond them ; but by 1805 
property in that neighborhood was wanted for residences or 
business. The log-cabin meeting-house was sold for twenty-two 
dollars, which became the nucleus of a building-fund for a new 
church, and the graveyard was platted and sold at auction at 
the Court-house. Mr. Cooper gave a new graveyard of four acres 
at the south side of Fifth Street, between Ludlow and Wilkinson 
streets, equal shares being given to the First Presbyterian and 
the Methodist churches and the town of Dayton. The new 
Presbyterian church, on Second and Ludlow streets, was not 
built till 1817. Two structures have succeeded it — one of brick, 
built in 1839, and the present stone church, built in 1867. Till 
the church of 1817 was completed, the congregation held services 
at Newcom's, or at McCullum's new brick tavern, southwest 
corner of Main and Second streets, removing in 1806 to the new 
Court-house. 

Mr. Cooper was deeply interested in the new Presbyterian 
church. When the bell for the church arrived at his store, south- 
east corner of Main and First streets, in 1818, he placed it on a 
wheelbarrow, and himself wheeled it to the corner of Second 
and Ludlow streets. He over-exerted himself, and burst a blood- 
vessel, which caused his death. He left two sons, who both died 
young and without children. Mr. Cooper won the respect and 
affection of all his fellow-citizens. To no one does the present 
generation owe a larger debt of gratitude. When he died, his 
affairs were somewhat involved ; but by prudent management 
5 



66 



EARLY DAYTON 



his executors, James Steele and H. G. Phillips, relieved the estate 
from embarrassment, and it henceforth steadily increased in 
value. Ever}' improvement of this large property benefited 
the city. 

A jail was built of round logs in the fall of 1804 on the end 
of the Third Street side of the Court-house lot. It was thirty 
feet long, sixteen wide, and twelve high, and contained two 
disconnected cells, floored and ceiled with logs. There were 
but three small windows in the building, secured by two-inch 
plank shutters and iron bars, and but two doors, also of two-inch 
plank, spiked and hung on iron hinges. The doors and shutters 
were locked on the outside, and the keys kept by Sheriff Newcom 
at his tavern, three squares off. During the sessions of court at 
the tavern a doorkeeper was appointed to conduct prisoners to 
and from the jail. This log fortress, which was built for $299 by 
David Squier, in two months, was stronger than the blockhouses 
which did such good service during the Indian wars, and 
answered every purpose till it became necessary that the sheriff 
should live at the jail, when one of stone was erected. 




CHAPTER IV 

1800-1805 

John W. Van Cleve— First "White Male Child Bom in Dayton— Friendship 
for R. W. Steele— Biographies of Van Cleve by R. W. Steele— Minutes 
Kept and Societies Founded by Van Cleve— His Exquisite Handwriting 
—His Versatility and Thoroughness— Proficiency in Ancient and Modern 
Languages— Teaches Latin at College Before Graduation— Talent for 
Mathematics — Translations— Water-Color Pictures of Wild Flowers— A 
True Book-Lover— Studies Law— Edits the Dayton Journal— In the Drug 
Business— Devotes Himself to Labors for the Public Good — A Civil Engi- 
neer—An Engraver— Talent for Painting — Plays Several Musical Instru- 
ments—A Botanist and Geologist— To Him We Owe Woodland Cemetery 
—Love of Plants and Trees— Plants the Levees with Trees— Surrounds 
the Court-House with Elms — Fondness for Children — Delightful Picnics 
—His Great Size — Interest in Schools and Libraries — Founder and 
Supporter of Dayton Library Association — Free Lectures on Scientific, 
Historical, or Literary Subjects— Afl'ection and Pride with Which He 
was Regarded — Devotion to His Kindred— Friendship Between Him 
and His Father— Public Offices in Town that He Held — His Map of 
Dayton — Writes Songs and Designs and Engraves Illustrations for the 
Log Cabin— The Whig Glee Club Trained by Professor Turpin — Mr. Van 
Cleve and Others Accompany the Club to the Columbus Convention — 
His Death — His Unbending Integrity and Scrupulous Honesty — Council 
Passes Resolutions of Respect — Dr. T. E. Thomas's Funeral Oration — 
Isaac Spining— William King— The Osborns — John H. Williams— The 
First Postofflce in Dayton — Mail-Routes— Post-Rider to Urbana— Trials of 
Benjamin Van Cleve, First Postmaster— His Successor, George S. Houston 
—Joseph Peirce— Joseph H. Crane — Colonel Robert Patterson— Schools — 
Dayton Incorporated— McCuUum's Tavern— Social Library Society. 

Our early history would be incomplete without some account 
of John W. Van Cleve, the first male child born in Dayton, and 
who became locally noted for literar5^ scientific, and artistic 
attainments, and for life-long, unsalaried work for the public 
good. He was the son of Benjamin and Mary Whitten Van 
Cleve, and was born June 27, 1801. From the writings and con- 
versation of the two Van Cleves, and from the files of Dayton 
newspapers, commencing with the first paper published here, 
preserved by them and presented to the Public Librar>' by the 
son, Maskeil E. Curwen, Ashley Brown, Robert W. Steele, and 
others obtained the greater part of the material for their histories 

67 



68 EARLY DAYTON 

of Dayton. During his last illness, J. W. Van Cleve explained 
to R. W. Steele, a younger man but congenial friend, who, from 
his youth, had devoted himself to disinterested philanthropic 
and educational labors, his plans for the benefit of his beloved 
native city, and placed in his hands constitutions, reports, and 
minutes of various societies, of which ]\Ir. Van Cleve had been 
the animating spirit and usually the founder ; and Mr. Steele 
constituted himself the biographer and eulogist of Mr. Van 
Cleve, sketching his portrait^ with all the literary skill and 
sympathetic touches at his command, in a number ot publica- 
tions. It is a matter of regret that he did not collect and 
combine in an elaborate biography the facts in regard to his 
friend which he scattered through several articles ; but it was 
his nature to sow broadcast with a liberal hand, regardless of 
personal considerations. 

The minutes kept by John W. Van Cleve were written in an 
exquisitely beautiful hand, which, like his father's, was as 
legible as copper-plate; so that it seemed a desecration for an 
inferior penman to make an entry in the books. The minutes of 
the Montgomery County Horticultural Society, of which he was 
one of the founders, he decorated with a water-color painting of 
a large, richly tinted peach on a branch, with leaves clustering 
about it. He was interested in agriculture, introduced modern 
methods and machinery on his farm, and tried many experi- 
ments, endeavoring, among other things, to make raisins from 
his grapes. 

Benjamin Van Cleve determined that his only son should enjoy 
the intellectual and moral training and affectionate parental 
supervision of which he himself had been deprived. His boy 
responded to all his attempts to guide and instruct him, and 
more than answered his expectations. The son inherited the 
father's methodical, industrious, and persevering habits, and 
his faculty of attaining by his own efforts what he had no 
opportunity of learning from others. He was remarkable for 
both versatility and thoroughness, and might have been de- 
scribed in the broadest sense as an all-round man, but for a slight 
lack of development of the imaginative and emotional side of 
his nature. He must have been largely self-taught, for sixty or 
seventy years ago teachers of accomplishments, or of anything 
outside the ordinary branches of education, were not to be 
obtained in Ohio, The journey to Eastern centers of culture 



i8cx)-i8o5 69 

was long and expensive. Specially talented young people did 
not, as is now customary, spend a winter or two in New York 
or Boston engaged in literary, scientific, or artistic study. 

John Van Cleve was a born scholar, endowed with a vigorous 
intellect, remarkable memory, and a facility for acquiring a 
knowledge of both mathematics and languages. When but ten 
years old, his father wrote of him, " My son John is now study- 
ing Latin, and promises to become a fine scholar." He entered 
the Ohio University at Athens, of which his father was a trustee, 
when he was sixteen, and acquired so high a reputation for 
scholarship that before his graduation he was employed as a 
teacher of both Latin and Greek in the college. He began to 
teach Latin in 181 7, his first year at college. Writing to ask his 
father's permission to teach, he says : " I think it would inform 
me in the Latin a great deal. I believe with one month's practice 
now in speaking the Latin I could speak very nearly as freely in 
it as I can in English." In 1819 he taught Greek and Latin sev- 
eral hours a day without interfering with his own lessons in his 
class. The regular work was so insufiicient for him that the pro- 
fessors volunteered to give him advanced instruction out of 
college hours. He was equally proficient in mathematics, and 
wrote from the Ohio University to his father, "I consider Euclid 
the most pleasing study I ever undertook, and find no difiiculty 
in understanding the propositions." In another letter he says 
that it is impossible for him to keep along with his class ; it 
would have been more correct to say that his class covild not keep 
up with him. Between three and five problems of Euclid each 
day were all that was required of students. Mr. Van Cleve was 
not satisfied with such easy work, and obtained permission to 
learn fifteen problems daily. 

Mr. R. W. Steele says: "I recollect that, when Colborn's 
' Intellectual Arithmetic ' was first introduced here, the late 
John W. Van Cleve, an accomplished and noted man in his day, 
told me that he went through the book at a sitting with great 
pleasure. How idle it would be to advise everybody to take up 
and read Colborn's arithmetic as a pleasant recreation ! Mr. Van 
Cleve was a man of decided taste for mathematics, and before 
Colborn we had no intellectual arithmetic or analysis in our 
schools, which accounts for his pleasure in the book." 

After leaving college Mr. Van Cleve studied French and Ger- 
man, translating from the latter language the first volume of 



JO EARLY DAYTON 

Goldfuss and Schiller's "Robbers," and a number of plays and 
fairy tales. He copied the fairy tales with his own hand into a 
pretty volume, which he presented to a little girl. To another 
young lady friend he gave a volume of water-color pictures of 
the wild flowers of Montgomery County, writing the botanical 
name below each picture. The flowers are as remarkable for 
scientific accurac}^ of form and coloring as for artistic beauty. 
Mr. Van Cleve was a tri:e book-lover, and gradually collected a 
good library. He subscribed for the American and foreign 
magazines, and it was probably the translations and critical and 
biographical articles in these magazines that led him to study 
German — a language neglected by English-speaking students 
till the beginning of the nineteenth century. As there was no 
teacher of modern languages in Dayton, he taught himself Ger- 
man and French. He contributed to a number of periodicals. In 
most directions he was a generous man, but he was almost 
miserly when his beloved books were concerned. He would 
only lend to those whom he thought genuinely interested in 
literature, and from each one he exacted a promise, entered in a 
ledger under his name and the date, that the book should be 
returned in good condition on a specified day. If the promise 
was not kept, the borrower received a notification of his remiss- 
ness, which was repeated with the addition of a sharp reprimand, 
till the work was safely restored to his shelves. A number of 
his books are in the possession of his relations. Some of his 
volumes, enriched by marginal notes in his own hand, are in 
the Public Library. Occasionally he bound, or rebound, a 
volume himself in heavy leather, preservation, and not beauty, 
being his aim. He intended to write a historj^ of the Northwest 
Territory, and made some preparation for the never-really-under- 
taken book. His memoranda jotted down for this purpose, and 
his notes on his general reading, book lists, and private accounts, 
are as beautiful and exquisitely neat as if intended for exhibi- 
tion, and not merely for his own eye. Among his manuscripts 
are letters from distinguished scientists with whom he corre- 
sponded. 

When he returned from college, he studied law with Judge 
Joseph H. Crane, and was admitted to the bar in 1828 ; but he 
did not find the practice of the law congenial, and in December, 
1828, he abandoned the legal profession and purchased an interest 
in the Dayton Jo?ir?ial, which he edited till 1834. In the latter 



I800-I805 "Jl 

year he entered into partnership in the drug business with 
Augustus Newell, furnishing the capital, but leaving the control 
of the concern in the hands of Mr. Newell. 

In 1 85 1, as he possessed what was a competency for an unmar- 
ried man, Mr. Van Cleve retired from business and devoted 
himself with the most indefatigable industry for the rest of his 
life to study and art and the promotion of whatever would benefit 
and adorn his native city. He became an accomplished musician, 
painter, engraver, civil engineer, botanist, and geologist. He 
had very decided talent for painting, and did excellent work in 
oils and water-colors, though he probably never took a lesson in 
either. One of his most interesting water-colors is a painting of 
the east side of Main Street, between Second and Third streets, 
as it was in 1855, which he gave to Miss Martha Holt. Mrs. 
Thomas Dover has three oil landscapes, one of them being painted 
for the purpose of introducing a very tall and magnificent tree 
in the foreground, the river and sawmill behind it pla3'ing a 
subordinate part. Mrs. Dover also has a number of water-color 
sketches of river scenery and seven or eight pictures of peaches 
of different varieties, one on each card. Mr. Van Cleve said he 
first painted their portraits and then ate them. He gathered 
them, no doubt, from his own trees. 

He played well on several instruments. For a number of 3'ears 
he was organist of Christ Episcopal Church. In 1823 the Pleyel 
Society, the first Dayton musical society, was formed, and he was 
elected president. He gave much time to the study of botany 
and geology, and collected a cabinet of fossils of this neighbor- 
hood, which he presented by will to the High School. Several 
sheets of the fossils of the Dayton limestone engraved b}' him 
are preserved at the Dayton Public Library. These engravings 
have been published in the Indiana Geological Reports. He 
made a complete herbarium of the plants indigenous to this 
region, which at his death he gave to Cooper Female Seminary. 
No care was taken of either his cabinet or herbarium. The 
remains of them are at the Public Library and Museum. He 
corresponded and exchanged specimens with scientists all over 
the United States. His list of trees growing in Woodland Cem- 
etery in 1843 is interesting to botanists. 

To him we owe Woodland Cemetery, the third in order of time 
of the rural cemeteries opened in the United States. He sug- 
gested that the beautiful grounds, now the pride of Dayton, 



72 EARLY DAYTON 

should be secured and improved for that purpose, and persistently 
carried the project through to completion. The cemetery was 
laid out, the roads run, the platting done, the accounts kept, by 
this skilled surveyor and bookkeeper, and all the duties of a 
superintendent performed by him, without compensation, during 
the earlier years of its history. He was president of the associa- 
tion till his death. 

For no one could a park be more appropriately named than for 
such an enthusiastic lover of nature and his fellow-men as 
John Van Cleve. The only thing else in Dayton called for him 
is a street which runs through what was once a part of his model 
farm. When the levees were built, or enlarged, he obtained sub- 
scriptions from citizens, heading the list himself, to purchase and 
plant trees on both sides of the levees, without expense to the 
city. At first, elms were planted on the river side and maples on 
the other side. Afterwards silver-leaf poplars, recently intro- 
duced, and then much admired, were also set out. He planted 
the trees himself. The little granddaughter of a pioneer used to 
accompany him, and note down from his dictation, in his 
memorandum-book, under the proper date, the variety of tree 
planted and its exact position. 

He knew the name of nearly every plant and tree within 
Montgomery County, and in what locality they could be found. 
Through his influence the early residents of Dayton felt a 
special interest and pride in the flowers and trees of the sur- 
rounding woods and prairies. He loved to bring home from his 
botanical excursions elegant shrubs or rare flowering plants, 
which, as he lived at an hotel, he presented to friends, setting 
them out himself in their yards. It would have seemed to him 
a cruel act to transplant them from their congenial country 
home, and allow them to pine or die from careless or ignorant 
treatment. He would have S3'mpathized with the saying of 
Montaigne that "there is a certain respect and general duty 
of humanity that ties us, not only to beasts, that have life and 
sense, but even to trees and plants." Had he had the making 
of the con.stitution of the Humane Society, it would have 
included the protection of trees as well as of women, children, 
and animals. Many a noble forest tree did he save from destruc- 
tion or mutilation by his entreaties. About 1850 he planted elms 
on Main and Third streets, along the sidewalks of the Court-house 
lots. He wished his native place to be as beautiful as the elm- 



1800-1805 73 

embowered New England towns, and thought these glorious 
trees would keep his memory as a public benefactor green for 
generations ; but his ungrateful fellow-citizens, as soon as his 
elms began to fulfill his expectations, chopped them down. 

Mr, Van Cleve was fond of children and they loved him. On 
many a pleasant spring, summer, or autumn morning he might 
have been seen leading a little company on foot, or to take the 
cars to the woods for an all-day picnic. He wanted the children to 
himself, and no grown people were invited. He had some eccen- 
tricities, which, however, only excited a pleasurable awe and 
curiosity. The children were not permitted, for instance, to ask 
what time it was. He either made no reply to such a question 
or answered that it was not polite, and a reflection upon his power 
of entertaining them, and that, at any rate, children had no 
business to think or know anything about time. He would 
sometimes suddenly put his hand within his shirt-bosom and 
draw out what he called "a beautiful, harmless little garter- 
snake," dropping it, perhaps, into a girl's lap. If she had the 
tact or nerve not to scream, she was henceforth one of his prime 
favorites. When he took children to the woods, he knew where 
to find quantities of wild flowers, mushrooms, nuts, elderberries, 
May-apples, haws, papaws, — "nature's custard," — persimmons, 
slippery-elm, spicewood, sassafras, etc., and these wild things 
gathered and commended by him had a flavor with which the 
liveliest imagination could not now invest them. He led you to 
the clearest and coolest moss-bordered springs, and his eye was 
quick to see beautiful and grotesque dead or growing shrubs and 
trees, birds, squirrels, and every lovely living thing; and a 
pause was always made to enjoy a fine view or landscape. In 
his botany box he carried, besides other luncheon, small pieces 
of beefsteak, one for each member of the party. These he 
transfixed with snow-white twigs from which he had peeled the 
bark, and then, arranging the children in front of a blazing fire 
he had built, showed them how to hold the twigs so as to cook 
their steak in the delicious fashion of their pioneer ancestors. If 
it was the proper season for wild grapes, clusters were squeezed 
into a bright new tincup, mixed with sugar and water, and the 
beverage drunk in turn by each of the party. 

Mr. Van Cleve was a giant in size — tall, of large frame, and 
weighing over three hundred pounds. Once, when making a 
call on a friend, the five-year-old son of his host, after walking 



74 EARLY DAYTON 

round him several timCvS, observing him curiously, stopped in 
front of him, and said, "Mr. Van Cleve, when you was a little 
boy, was you a little boy?" Though usually sensitive about 
his size, he laughed, and took this as a good joke. Hits at 
prominent citizens were freely indulged in in the old-fashioned 
New- Year's address, brought to every door for sale on the ist of 
January. In one of the ' ' addresses ' ' appeared this rhyme : 

"If all flesh is grass, as the Scriptures say, 
Then "Van Cleve would make a load of hay." 

He was the first male child born in Dayton, and, being of very 
great size, was often pointed out to strangers as a specimen of 
what Dayton could produce. 

Mr. Van Cleve was warmly interested in libraries and schools, 
and gave liberally of time and money to both. He preserved and 
presented to the Public Library the records of the old Dayton 
Academy, from which all the early school history of Da3'ton was 
obtained. In the later years of its history he was connected with 
our first library, incorporated in 1805. He was one of the found- 
ers, in 1847, of the Dayton Library Association, now merged in 
the Public School Library. During the rest of his life the library 
was one of the objects in which he was most interested. He pre- 
sented to it valuable newspapers, minutes, magazines, and books, 
.served as an ofiicer of the association, and assisted in selecting 
the first volumes that were purchased. " The list numbered but 
little over one thousand volumes, but the books were Charles 
Lamb's 'books that are books.' " Whenever a public entertain- 
ment was gotten up for the benefit of literary or philanthropic 
objects, Mr. Van Cleve was an active promoter of the undertak- 
ing. He frequently lectured on scientific, historical, or literary 
subjects in the courses provided by the Mechanics' Institute and 
the Dayton Library Association. 

He did a work for Dayton of the kind that only a highly 
cultivated man of leisure can accomplish. His fellow-citizens 
appreciated his efforts and regarded him with pride, respect, and 
love. At the present day, many who were not grown when he 
died, but to whom he had been kind and helpful in their child- 
hood, never think of him without a glow of affection, admira- 
tion, and gratitude. 

He was warmly attached to his kindred, even when not nearly 
related, and any one with Van Cleve blood in his veins was sure 



1800-1S05 75 

of a cordial reception from him, even if not ver}'^ congenial in 
character or pursuits. Though undemonstrative and even some- 
what cold in manner, he was a most affectionate son, brother, and 
uncle. His letters from college reveal the delightful relations 
existing between the son and his father. There is about them a 
tone of frankness, simplicity, certaintj' of comprehension and 
S3'mpatliy, of good comradeship and intimate friendship, that 
gives one a pleasant impression of both the man and the boy. 
Ambitious of distinction and fond of study though John Van Cleve 
was, in 1819, when Benjamin Yan Cleve was overweighted with 
financial cares and anxieties, John urged his father to allow him 
to leave college and come home and help in the business. This 
request was not granted, and the boy was moreover told that 
affairs were in better condition than his solicitude for his famil}^ 
had led him to imagine them to be. He always every Sunday 
spent the afternoon and took tea with one of his sisters. He was 
not what is called a great talker, and often, after a little domestic 
chat, would draw a magazine or book from his pocket and soon 
become absorbed in reading. His sisters' children were very 
fond of him, and he did a great deal for their pleasure and profit, 
lending them books, awakening their intelligence, and increasing 
their fund of knov/ledge by conversing with them. At the time, 
however, they only thought of the enjo3'ment his visits afforded 
them, and of how delightful it was to have him with them. It 
was he himself tlie}^ cared for, not what he might give them, or 
w^hat benefit they might derive from association with him. 

Mr. Van Cleve was elected recorder in 1S24 and 1828; served for 
three terms as IMaj-or — in 1S30, 1831, and 1832, and was several 
times city engineer. For a number of years he was connected 
with the volunteer fire department — placed in command by 
Covtncil. In 1839 he compiled and lithographed a map of the 
cit}', and in 1S49 '^ ^ity map in book form, renumbering the 
various plats and lots unplatted in 1839. 

He was an enthusiastic Whig, and a warm supporter of Har- 
rison in 1840. When R. N. and W. F. Comly published the Log^ 
Cabin, a Harrison campaign paper, famous all over the United 
States, Mr. Van Cleve wrote many of the songs, and designed 
and engraved the illustrations and caricatures that appeared in 
it. He had a grim sense of humor, and sometimes indulged in 
practical jokes that did not seem laughable to others. Professor 
James Turpin, a musician of repute, and a generous, public- 



76 EARLY DAYTON 

Spirited man, who was highly esteemed, both professionally and 
socially, composed the accompaniments for the campaign songs. 
Mr. Van Cleve and Mr. Turpin worked together in the latter's 
parlor, musician and writer making mutual changes and conces- 
sions. Mr. Turpin and Mr. Van Cleve had formed and trained a 
Whig Glee Club. The club and a large number of other citizens 
attended the mammoth Harrison convention held at Columbus, 
where Mr. Van Cleve's songs, as sung under Professor Turpin's 
leadership by Dayton singers, were received with wild enthusi- 
asm and prolonged applause. The Dayton delegation traveled in 
stage-coaches, decorated profusely with Harrison emblems, and 
during both the journey and the stay in Columbus, where the 
club was crowded into one bedroom, the "fun was fast and 
furious" ; jokes, and quips, and ridiculous tricks, and everything 
that could promote hilarity or increase political excitement, 
always at fever heat during that remarkable campaign, were en- 
couraged and indulged in. 

Mr. Van Cleve died, unmarried, of consumption, September 
6, 1858, after a long illness, which he bore with the greatest 
courage and patience. One of his closest associates wrote of 
him : "A striking trait of his character was his unbending integ- 
rity. His scrupulous honesty was so well known and appreciated 
that he was frequently selected for the discharge of the most 
responsible trusts." His death at the comparatively early age of 
fifty -seven was regarded as a public calamity. Although he held no 
ofl&cial position at the time of his death, the City Council adopted 
resolutions of respect for his memory and of appreciation of his 
great services to the city. The funeral took plaee at the First 
Presbyterian Church, which was crowded with sincere mourners. 
The Rev. Thomas E. Thomas delivered a magnificent funeral 
oration of the kind for which he was so famous, drawing a 
graphic portrait of Mr. Van Cleve, his talents, acquirements, 
and character, and comparing him to a dead lion. 

Three important accessions were made to the Dayton set- 
tlement, in 1800, 1801, and 1802, in Isaac Spining, William 
King, and John H. Williams, afterwards closely related by 
marriage, and who settled in the neighborhood now known as 
the West Side. The name of Judge Spining constantly occurs in 
connection with public affairs in Dayton. He emigrated from 
New Jersey to the West in 1796, and a few years later located on a 
farm three miles west of Dayton. His sons, Pierson, Charles H., 



1800-1S05 77 

and George B., were all citizens of note, the first in Springfield 
and the other two in Dayton. Mr. Pierson Spining, before 
removing to Springfield, was in business in Middletown. There 
is a stor}^ connected with the goods he was selling at Middletown 
which illustrates his father's business talent and the pluck and 
enterprise of early times. Judge Spining, before 1812, "built a 
flatboat near the head of Main Street on the river front. This 
boat was loaded with flour, and with Judge Spining as captain 
floated to New Orleans. Flour was dull in that city, and the 
Judge shipped his cargo from that point to Boston, taking pas- 
sage in the vessel which bore his produce. He sold his flour and 
purchased in Philadelphia for his son the goods which made up 
the assortment at the Middletown store. The Judge was six 
months in making the round trip from Dayton to New Orleans, 
Philadelphia, and return." 

The son Pierson married, at Dayton, in 1812, Miss Mary 
Schooley, whose acquaintance he had probably made while a 
clerk in the store of H. G. Phillips. Miss Phebe Peirce, married 
the same year to James Steele, was Miss Schooley's bridesmaid. 
Mrs. Pierson Spining was born in 1790 in New Jersey, and 
brought, when an infant, to Columbia, near Cincinnati. Here 
the family lived in a log cabin, and when the children attended 
school they were often, as a protection against Indians, sent 
home with an escort of soldiers. As an indication of the fear- 
less and adventurous spirit of the pioneer women, it is said of 
Mrs. Spining that she made "frequent trips from Springfield to 
Cincinnati on horseback, her mother's family living in Springdale, 
in Hamilton County. On one occasion she took her infant child 
as the companion of her journey. At another time she found 
Mill Creek booming. Getting the range of the ford, she boldly 
rode in, her horse swam across the turbulent stream, and she 
continued her excursion to Cincinnati, arriving there without 
further peril in flood or field." In 1863 she removed to Dayton, 
where she lived till she was over fourscore. 

Judge Spining has several descendants living here. Among 
them may be mentioned Mrs. Louisa King, Mrs. Jennie S. Mul- 
ford, Mrs. Mary C. Wade, Miss Elizabeth G. Spining, Mrs. 
Sarah Stewart, and Mrs. ]\Iary McG. Stewart. 

William King, dissatisfied with Kentucky on account of 
slavery, emigrated from that State to this vicinity in 1801. He 
was a remarkable man, distinguished for his strong convictions 



78 EARLY DAYTON 

and his conscientious determination to carry them out at what- 
ever cost. He was foi* many years an elder in the First Presbj'- 
terian Church, and had something of the Puritan and the 
Covenanter in his composition. He lived to a great old age, 
lacking at his death but three months of being one hundred 
years old. His two elder sons, John and Victor, removed to 
Madison, Indiana. His son Samuel married Mary C, daughter 
of John H. Williams. His daughter Jane married David Osborn. 
The Osborn family are descendants of Cyrus Osborn, who was 
here as early as 1797. Numerous grandchildren of David Osborn 
are living here ; for instance, David L. Osborn, Cyrus V. Osborn, 
James Steele Osborn, Miss Harriet E. Osborn, Miss Harriet 
McGufFy Osborn. The older grandchildren of William King 
are Miss Nancy King, William B. King, John King, Mrs. Har- 
riet Scott, and Mrs. Eliza Brenneman. 

John H. Williams was an honored and highly esteemed citi- 
zen. His descendants are numerous and prominent. We can 
onl}^ mention Mrs. Hiram Lewis, Mrs. David Rench, Miss Susan 
Williams, Miss Nannie B. Williams, Mrs. Lucinda H. Campbell, 
John W. and Henry Stoddard, and Mrs. General S. B. Smith. 

In December, 1803, Benjamin Van Cleve was appointed first 
postmaster of Dayton, and served till his death, in 1821. He 
opened the postoffice in his cabin, on the southeast corner of 
First and St. Clair streets. Previous to Mr. Van Cleve's ap- 
pointment the only postoffice in the Miami Valley, and as far 
north as Lake Erie, was at Cincinnati. From 1804 to 1S06 the 
people north of Dayton as far as Fort Wayne were obliged to come 
here for their mail. In 1804 Dayton was on the mail-route from 
Cincinnati to Detroit, and the mail was carried by a post-rider, 
who arrived and left here once in two weeks. Soon after, a 
weekly mail, the only one, was established. A letter from 
Dayton to Franklin, or any other town on the route, was sent 
first to Cincinnati and then back again around the circuit to its 
destination. A second route was soon opened from Zanesville, 
Franklinton, and Urbana to Dayton. The next improvement 
was a mail from the East by way of Chillicothe, arriving and 
leaving Sunday evenings. 

In 1808 a committee of citizens — Judge Joseph H. Crane, 
George Smith, William T. Tenner3% William McClure, and Joseph 
Peirce — employed William George to superintend the carrying 
of the mail to Urbana. It was necessary at that date that those 



1800-1805 79 

interested in a proposed new mail-route should raise a fund to 
defray the expense of it, but the Postmaster- General agreed to 
allow toward the expense all that was paid in for postage, etc., 
at the new ofl&ces. The following interesting agreement between 
the committee and the Urbana mail-carrier was found a few 
years ago among the papers of William McClure, editor of the 
Repertory, which his brother-in-law, Judge James Steele, had 
preserved : 

"WITNESSETH, That the said George, on his part, binds him- 
self, his heirs, etc., to carry the mail from Dayton to Urbana 
once a week and back to Dayton for the term that has been 
contracted for between Daniel C. Cooper and the Postmaster- 
General, to commence Frida}', the 9th inst., to wit: Leave 
Dayton every Friday morning at six o'clock ; leave Urbana 
Saturday morning, and arrive at Dayton Saturday evening, the 
undertakers reserving the right ox altering the time of the start- 
ing and returning with the mail, allowing the said George two 
da3'S to perform the trip, the post-rider to be employed by the 
said George to be approved by the undertakers. They also 
reserve to themselves the right of sending way letters and papers 
on said route, and the said George binds himself to pay for 
every failure in the requisitions of this agreement on his part 
the sum equal to that required by the Postmaster-General in 
like failures. The said committee, on their part, agree to furnish 
the said George with a suitable horse, furnish the person carrying 
the mail and the horse with suflScient victuals, lodging, and 
feed, and one dollar for each and every trip, to be paid every 
three months." 

Previous to this arrangement a public meeting had been called, 
where the committee on the new mail-route had been appointed. 

Postage, usually not prepaid, but collected on delivery, was 
high, and money scarce. Few ever had a dollar in their posses- 
sion. The Government would not accept payment in corn or 
pelts. Stamps were not used, but the amount due — usuallj^ 
twenty-five cents — was written on the outside of the letter, 
which was not enclosed in an envelope. It was a trial, especially 
in 3'ears when people had little in their own town to interest or 
amuse them, and were separated by a journey of many weeks 
from friends in the old home from whence they had emigrated 
to Dayton, to return the letter handed them at the office, because 
the}' had no money to pa}' postage. INIr. Van Cleve was a man 
of the period, and had a fellow-feeling for his penniless, but not 
necessarily poverty-stricken neighbors, and for a time he allowed 
them to take their unpaid-for mail. Soon, however, such notices 



8o EARLY DAYTON 

as the following were of frequent occurrence in the newspapers : 
"The postmavSter, having been in the habit of giving unlimited 
credit heretofore, finds it his duty to adhere strictly to the 
instructions of the Postmaster-General. He hopes, therefore, 
that his friends will not take it amiss when he assures them that 
no distinction will be made. No letters delivered in the future 
without pay, nor papers without the postage being paid quarterly 
in advance." 

Mr. Van Cleve's successor as postmaster was George S. Hous- 
ton, who came here from New Jersey in 1810, and entered into 
partnership with his brother-in-law, H. G. Phillips. Like Mr. 
Van Cleve, he was an unusually public-spirited citizen, as 
reports of societies and meetings in the old newspapers show, 
and a man of many avocations. From 1821 till his death, in 
183 1, he was editor-in-chief of the Watchnia^i, cashier of the 
Dayton Bank, and postmaster. The postofiBce was at his resi- 
dence, a brick dwelling, still standing on the north side of Second 
Street, near Ludlow. 

Joseph Peirce and Judge Joseph H. Crane, who signed the 
agreement with the Urbana mail-carrier, were very prominent 
citizens. They married sisters — the daughters of Dr. John 
Elliott. Joseph Peirce was born in Rhode Island in 1786, and 
was brought to Marietta in 1788 by his father, who served in 
1779 as an aid-de-camp on the staff of General Horatio Gates^ 
was a shareholder in the Ohio Company, and in 1789 one of the 
founders of Belpre, Ohio. Joseph Peirce spent his childhood in 
the stockades, Farmers' Castle, and Goodale's Garrison, in which 
the people of Belpre took refuge during the Indian war. About 
1805 he came to Da3'ton, and in 1807 entered into a partnership 
with James Steele, which continued all his life. They retailed, 
as the manuscript advertisement which they circulated states, 
"all sorts of goods, wares, and commodities belonging to the 
trade of merchandising." He was a member of the Legislature 
in 1812. A letter written by him to a friend at this time refers 
in an interesting manner to the war then in progress. "Great 
unanimity prevails among the members [of the Legislature] so 
far. You no doubt have seen Governor Meigs's message. You 
will, in a few days, see the patriotic resolutions, approbating the 
general Government, that have been passed. I doubt we have 
promised more than most of us would be willing to perform, 
should we be put to the test. To-day I think we shall pass a 



1800-1805 8i 

law furnishing our militia on duty with about |5,ooo worth of 
blankets." Dayton was the rendezvous of the Western troops 
in this war, and our merchants sold largely to the army, waiting, 
however, many a long month before they received their pay from 
the Government. Mr. Peirce was president of the Dayton Bank 
from 1814 till his death in 1821 of the fever which swept away 
a number of valuable citizens. The obituary notice published in 
the Watclwia7i says that he received from his fellow-citizens 
many and various marks of their respect .and confidence, and 
faithfully discharged the duties of all the public positions to 
which he was called. Fully appreciating the importance of 
a canal from the Ohio to Lake Erie, he was endeavoring to 
secure its construction when he died. He was an ardent sup- 
porter of Mr. Cooper in the latter' s plans for the benefit of the 
,town, and was held in the highest regard by his fellow-citizens 
in all public, business, and social relations. He was the father 
of J. C. and the late J. H. Peirce, and the grandfather of J. 
Elliott, Sarah H., Elizabeth F., and Howard F. Peirce, Mrs. 
H. E. Parrott, S. W. and J. P. Davies, Mrs. R. C. Schenck, and 
Mrs. Joseph Dart. 

Judge Joseph H. Crane, the grandfather of J. F. S. and J. H. 
Crane, was noted for profound learning in his profession. He 
was a man of "wide and varied reading, and prodigious memory, 
especially familiar with English history and the English classics 
and poets." He aided in selecting the first books bought for 
the Public Librarj^ and would buy only works of the highest 
character. The Dayton library and schools and other institutions 
received an impetus in right directions from cultivated and far- 
sighted men who came here in the first ten or twelve years of 
the history of the town, which is felt at the present day, and will 
never cease. Judge Crane came to Dayton when twenty-one, at 
the invitation of Mr. Cooper, from New Jersey, where he had 
studied law in the office of Aaron Ogden, a noted lawyer and 
statesman. He became invaluable as attorney and counselor to 
Daniel C. Cooper and the early settlers. He was elected to the 
Legislature in 1809. His colleague, David Purviance, in a letter 
to William McClure, editor of the Repertory, in the possession 
of one of the authors, says under date of December 29, 1809: 
"Mr. Crane is the 07ily lawyer w^ho is a member of the House 
of Representatives. He conducts with prudence, and is in good 
repute as a ipember." Crane was a young man and had his 
6 



82 EARLY DAYTON 

reputation to win at this period. He served in the War of 1812, 
enlisting with the other gentlemen of the town as a private, but 
at St. Mary's was promoted to sergeant-major of the post. From 
1813 to 1816 he was prosecuting attorney, and was made judge 
in 1817. In 1828 he was elected to Congress, and served eight 
years. From 1836 till his death, in 1851, he practiced law in 
Dayton, venerated by all for his high character and great ability. 
In 1804 Colonel Robert Patterson, whose name often occurs in 
the history of Kentucky and Ohio during the last years of the 
eighteenth century, came here from Kentuck3\ He settled on 
the farm now the site of the Cash Register Works, which have 
given his grandsons an international reputation in the business 
world. Colonel Patterson's early life was full of adventure and 
hairbreadth escapes from Indians and other perils of the 
Western wilderness. He was born in 1753 in Bedford County, 
Pennsylvania, and began his military career as a member of a 
company of rangers raised to protect the frontier of his native 
State from Indians. When twenty-one, he and several other 
young men started in boats from Fort Pitt for Kentucky, with 
nine horses and fourteen head of cattle, and supplies, imple- 
ments, and ammunition. At Limestone Creek, in Kentucky, they 
met, "guarding a little corn-patch with their tomahawks," Simon 
Kenton and Thomas Williams, the only white men in what is 
now that State. In 1777 Patterson and his party cleared land 
and planted corn near a big spring, naming their camp " Lexing- 
ton," in honor of the Revolutionary battle. Later, he entered 
land and laid out the city at this point. In 1787 he "was one of 
the founders of Cincinnati. He accompanied General George 
Rogers Clark in the Illinois campaign in 1778, and Colonel 
Bowman in the expedition against the Shawnee towns at old 
Chillicothe in 1779; served as captain in 1780 in General Clark's 
raid on old Chillicothe and old Miami ; was in command of 
a company of Logan's regiment in Clark's campaign, in 
1782, against Indians at Piqua, on the Miami, and at Laramie. 
Colonel Logan's command camped three days at the mouth of 
Mad River; that is to say, at Dayton. In 1786 Patrick Henry, 
Governor of Virginia, commissioned Robert Patterson a colonel 
in the "State Line." In 1786 his regiment of Colonel Logan's 
division marched to destroy the Macacheek towns on Mad 
River. Btit for these battles and victories over the Indians, in 
which Colonel Patterson was for many years engaged, the Dayton 



I800-I805 83 

settlement would have been an irapossibilit}-. His part in the 
history of our city is of the greatest importance, for he helped 
win its site from the Indians, and secured a peaceful and pros- 
perous home for the pioneers. He was present with his regiment 
at "St. Clair's defeat" in 1791. In the War of 1812 he had 
charge of transportation of supplies from Camp Meigs, near 
Dayton, north to the army. All his later years he was a sufferer 
from wounds received in his campaigns. 

Colonel Patterson's wife died in 1833. They had nine children, 
all deceased. Their son Jeflferson (like his father, always called 
Colonel) was born in Dayton May 2-], 1801, and was a man of 
high character and an influential citizen. He was a member 
of the Legislature at the time of his sudden death in 1863. 
Colonel Jefferson Patterson married, in 1833, Julia, daughter of 
Colonel John Johnston, who survives him. Colonel Johnston was 
a very noted man in Indian affairs, being in the employ of the 
United States Government. He succeeded in both doing justice 
to the Indians and securing the safety of the white inhabitants 
even during the War of 1812. Colonel Jefferson Patterson's 
children, Robert, S. J., J. H., and F. J. Patterson, and Mrs. J. H. 
Crane, are well known. Colonel Robert Patterson's daughter 
Catharine married, first, Henry Brown ; second, Andrew Irwin ; 
third, H. G. Phillips. Her children, the late Judge R. P, and 
Henry L. Brown, INIrs. Charles Anderson, and A. Barr Irwin, 
were long prominent in Dayton. Mr. Irwin and Mrs. Anderson 
now live in Kentucky. 

After Benjamin Van Cleve closed his blockhouse school, children 
were dependent upon their parents for instruction till 1804, when 
Cornelius Westfall opened a school, probably on Main Street, 
next the High School lot. He was a Kentuckian, and, after he 
ceased to teach, was for many years clerk of the Miami Court of 
Common Pleas. His successor as teacher, in 1805, was Swansey 
Whiting, an educated man from Pennsylvania, who became a 
physician. 

The town of Dayton was incorporated by the Legislature 
February 12, 1805. The act of incorporation provided for the- 
election, by freeholders who had lived in Dayton six months, of 
seven trustees, a collector, supervisor, and marshal. The trus- 
tees were empowered to elect a treasurer, who need not be a 
member of their board, and to choose a president (in effect, 
mayor) and a recorder from their own number. The board of 



84 EARLY DAYTON 

trustees was known as ' ' the Select Council of the city of Day- 
ton." Till 1814 annual public meetings were held, where esti- 
mates and expenditures for town improvement and government 
purposes were discussed and authorized by popular vote. Meet- 
ings of the Select Council were, for ten years, held at residences 
of members. Councilmen were fined twenty-five cents if thirty 
minutes late. In 1805 Council proposed raising the expenses of 
the town, which were seventy-two dollars, by taxation. But the 
proposition was defeated at a meeting of voters called to discuss 
it. Seventeen voted against taxation, and thirteen for it. 

The first brick house erected in Dayton was McCullum's 
Tavern, two stories high and built in 1805 on the southwest 
corner of Main and Second streets. It was used as a hotel till 
1870, when it was converted into a business house. In 1880 it 
was torn down. A bell in a belfry on the Second Street side of 
the roof called guests to breakfast, always served before daylight, 
and to the other meals, also ready at early hours. In 1812 a 
picture of the capture of the British frigate Guerrilre by the 
American frigate Constitution , was painted on McCullum's sign, 
a large one fastened to a tall post on the pavement in front of the 
house. A highly colored engraving of this naval battle was a 
favorite ornament of Dayton parlors at that period. From 1805 
to 1807 the county court was held at McCullum's, the commis- 
sioners agreeing to pay him twenty-five dollars a year for the use 
of as much of his house as would be needed. 

The Dayton Social I,ibrary Society was incorporated by the 
Legislature in 1805, Mr. Cooper, who was a member of the Leg- 
islature at that date, no doubt attending to the matter. This was 
the first library incorporated in Ohio. The incorporators were 
Rev. William Robertson, Dr. John Elliott, William Miller, Ben- 
jamin Van Cleve, and John Folkerth. John Folkerth was 
treasurer ; Robertson, Miller, and Elliott, directors. It is credit- 
able to our pioneers that a library and an academy were estab- 
lished as early as 1805 and 1807. Benjamin Van Cleve was 
appointed librarian, and the books were kept at the postoffice, at 
St. Clair and First streets. When he died. Squire Folkerth took 
charge of them at his office, in the one-story extension of the 
building on the northeast corner of First and Main streets. Bor- 
rowers were assessed three cents for a drop of tallow, or for 
folding down a leaf, and in proportion for any other damage, and 
were fined one quarter of the cost of a book lent to a person not 




From a portrait in ]>■ 



•u u( J. U. Patterson. 

COLONEL ROBERT PATTERSON. 



1800-1805 85 

belonging to the society or allowed to be taken into a school. It 
was determined by lottery who should have the first choice, and 
so on, for each proprietor. The constitution provided for a 
monthly business-meeting of proprietors in the log-cabin meet- 
ing-house. In 1822 the Gridiron advertises a farce to be given by 
the Thespian Society for the benefit of the library. John W. Van 
Cleve said of this library : "The number of books is small, but 
they are well selected, being principallj'^ useful standard books, 
which should be found in all institutions of the kind. Among 
them are the North American and American Quarterly Reviews 
for the last few years." September 8, 1835, Henry Stoddard, 
William Bomberger, and J. W. Van Cleve, committee, advertised 
the library for sale at auction at the clerk's office at 2 p. m., 
Saturday, the 12th inst. 



CHAPTER V 

1805-1809 

First Disastrous Flood — Emigrants from New Jersey— Charles Russell 
Greene — Ferries — First Court- House — First Newspaper— First Brick 
Stores— James Steele — Robert W. Steele — Dayton Academy— James 
Hanna— John Folkerth — First Teachers in the Academy — William M. 
Smith — James H. Mitchell — E. E. Barney— Trustees of Academy in 1833 

Collins Wight — Milo G. Williams— Transfer of Academy to Board of 

Education — Henry Bacon — Luther Brueu — Antislavery Excitement- 
Arrest and Suicide of a Fugitive Slave — Colored People Leave Dayton 
for Hayti — A Colonization Society Formed — Antislavery Society- 
Union Meeting-House, Principally Built by Luther Bruen — Dr. Birney 
and Mr. Rankin Mobbed— Dr. H. Jewett — Dr. John Steele— Advertise- - 
ment of a Runaway Slave— Jonathan Harshman — First Brick Residence 
—The Cannon "Mad Anthony " — Rev. James Welsh, M.D. — Dr. John 
Elliott— Town Prospering — No Care Taken of Streets or Walks — Grimes's 
Tavern — Alexander Grimes— Reid's Inn — Colonel Reid — Second News- 
paper, the Repertory — Advertisements in the Repertory — Matthew Patton 
— Abram Darst— Pioneer Women. 

In March, 1805, a disastrous flood — the first of any importance 
that had occurred since the settlement of Dayton — swept over 
the town plat. No levees had been built at this date, and when 
the town began to raise them they were repeatedly washed 
away. It took long and painful experience to teach the lesson 
that levees must be high and strong. John W. Van Cleve 
describes this flood in an address on the "Settlement and Prog- 
ress of Dayton," delivered in 1833 before the Dayton Lyceum, a 
literary society, having a public library connected with it. The 
address was printed in a morning paper. 

"In the spring of 1805," Mr. Van Cleve says, "Daj^ton was 
inundated by an extraordinary rise of the river. In all ordinary 
freshets the water used to pass through the prairie at the east 
side of the town, where the basin now is; but the flood of 1805 
covered a great portion of the town itself There were only two 
spots of dry land within the whole place. The water came out 
of the river at the head of Jefferson Street, and ran down to the 
common at the east end of old Market Street, in a stream which 

86 



1 805-1809 87 

a horse could not cross without swimming, leaving an island 
between it and the mill. A canoe could be floated at the inter- 
section of First Street with St. Clair, and the first dr\- land was 
w^est of that point. The western extremity of that island was 
near the crossing of Main and First streets, from whence it bore 
down in a southern direction towards where the sawmill now 
stands, leaving a dry strip from a point on the south side of 
Main Cross Street [now Third], between Jefferson Street and the 
prairie, to the river bank at the head of Main Street. Almost 
the whole of the land was under water, with the exception of 
those two islands, from the river to the hill which circles round 
south and east of town from Mad River to the Miami. The 
water was probably eight feet deep in Main Street, at the Covirt- 
house, where the ground has since been raised several feet. 

"In consequence of the flood, a considerable portion of the 
inhabitants became strongly disposed to abandon the present 
site of the town, and the proposition was made and urged very 
strenuously that lots should be laid off" upon the plain upon 
the second rise on the southeast of the town, through which the 
Waynesville road passes ; and that the inhabitants should take 
lots there in exchange for those which they owned upon the pres- 
ent plat, and thus remove the town to a higher and more secure 
situation. The project, however, was defeated by the unyielding 
opposition of some of the citizens, and it was no doubt for the 
advantage and prosperity of the place that it was." 

Some of us can remember how certain aged pioneers used to 
upbraid the founders of the town for putting it down in a hollow, 
instead of on the hills to the southeast, and expatiate on the folly 
which the people were guilty of in voting against the removal, 
after the terrible freshet of 1805, to high ground. "Some day 
there will be a flood which will sweep Dayton out of existence," 
those ancient, men and women used to prophesy to their grand- 
children. 

In no way did Daniel C. Cooper confer a greater benefit upon 
his town than by inducing a number of men of superior educa- 
tion, character, and business capacitj' to come here from his 
native New Jersey and other States, between 1804 and 1808. 
About 1804 or 1805 arrived Charles Russell Greene, whose sister 
Mr. Cooper married. He was born in Rhode Island, but as, like 
his cousin Joseph Peirce, he was the son of a shareholder in the 
Ohio Company, his youth was spent at Marietta, The boys who 



88 EARLY DAYTON 

came to Ohio in 1788 received a good education, for the com- 
pany employed excellent teachers ; and if these had been 
wanting, men, of whom there were many, of the ability and 
knowledge of Isaac Peirce and Charles Greene, fathers of Joseph 
Peirce and Charles R. Greene, were capable of instructing their 
sons themselves. When Charles R. Greene first came to Dayton, 
he was in business with IVIr. Cooper. Afterwards he had a store 
of his own. He succeeded Benjamin Van Cleve in 1821 as 
clerk of the court, a position for which he was eminently fitted. 
He was remarkably elegant and fine-looking. An old gentleman 
who was a child when Mr. Greene died was fond of relating how 
admiringly the boys used to watch this handsome, graceful man, 
mounted on a beautiful, spirited white horse, taking his daily 
ride down Main Street out into the country. Mr. Greene married 
a daughter of Henry Disbrow, a prominent Dayton business 
man. They had six children : Luciana Zeigler, married J. D. 
Phillips ; Sophia, married E. T. Schenck ; Eliza, married David 
Z. Peirce ; Cooper, died unmarried ; Harriet, married David Jun- 
kin; Charles H., married Adeline D. Piper. All are deceased 
except Mrs. Schenck. Mrs. C. R. Greene died November 3, 1873. 

Mr. Greene was a highl}^ esteemed citizen, and his death in 
183 1 threw a gloom over the whole community. Even the man 
who, while under the influence of liquor, caused his death admit- 
ted that he had killed his best friend. The indignation against 
the murderer was intense. At a fire, which occurred here on the 
night of September 10, 1833, Mr. Greene, one of the fire-wardens, 
ordered Matthew Thompson, who was looking idly on, to assist 
in passing water in the leather buckets to the little engine, which 
was now always used in addition to the buckets. Thompson 
refused, and offering some resistance when the order was 
repeated, Mr. Greene was obliged to use force to compel him to 
obey. The next day, on the complaint of Thompson, Mr. Greene 
was summoned to appear before the squire. While he was being 
questioned, Thompson struck him with a club, death resulting 
in a short time. Mr. Greene's sister, Mrs. Cooper, by her third 
marriage became the mother of Major Fielding Loury, the father 
of Charles G. and Sophie Loury, Mrs. Anna Dana, and Mrs. 
Elise L. Smith. 

There were no bridges over the Miami or Mad River in 1805 ; 
but there were two ferries over the Miami — one at the foot of 
First Street, at the old ford on the road to Salem, and another at 



1805- i8o9 89 

the foot of Fourth Street, on the road to Genuantown. The 
First-Street ferry was used till a bridge was built in 1819. Ferry 
rates were fixed by the county commissioners, as follows : 
loaded wagon and team, seventy-five cents empty wagon and 
team, fifty cents ; two-wheeled carriage, thirty-seven and one- 
half cents ; man and horse, twelve and one-half cents ; person 
on foot, six and one-quarter cents. 

In 1806 the first Court-house, a brick structure, fiftj'-two by 
thirty-eight feet in size, two stories high, was built on the pres- 
ent Court-house lot. The court-room was on the first floor, and 
the jury -rooms in the second story. In 18 15 a cupola was built, 
in which a bell was hung in 1816. The building was removed 
about 1847, and that perfect piece of architecture, the "old 
Court-house," built on its site. 

In July of this year a Mr. Crane, from Lebanon, Ohio, endeav- 
ored to establish a newspaper here. After issuing a few numbers, 
he was attacked with fever and ague, and, in consequence of this 
illness, returned to Lebanon, and abandoned his project. No 
file of this paper has been preserved, and even its name has been 
forgotten. 

In 1806 two brick stores, one story high, were erected on the 
northeast corner of First and Main by Mr. Cooper, and one, two 
stories high, on the northeast corner of Main and First by James 
Steele. The latter building stood till 1865 ; it gave place to 
Turner's Opera-house. Brown & Sutherland had a frame store 
on Main, near Monument Avenue, and H. G. Phillips a log 
store on the southwest corner of First and Jefferson streets. 
In 1812 he built a brick store, with a handsome residence 
adjoining, on the southeast corner of Main and Second streets. 
The brick business houses of 1806 were very small, plain, and 
' insignificant affairs, as those who remember the Steele store are 
aware. But Cooper's and Steele's stores drew business toward 
the center of town. 

James Steele was born in Rockbridge County, Virginia, in 
1778, and brought to Kentucky by his father in 1788. He came 
to Dayton from Kentucky in 1805, and was in business till 1807 
with his brother-in-law, William McClure. From December, 
1807, till 1821 he was in partnership with his wife's brother, Joseph 
Peirce. Before he came to Da3-ton, his life was one of hardship 
and anxiety on a Kentucky farm, where he labored strenuously 
to support arid educate his fatherless brothers and sisters. He 



go EARLY DAYTON 

earned the capital witli which he began business here by making 
trips on a flatboat, laden with farm products, from Kentucky to 
New Orleans. Like his son, Robert W. Steele, he was interested 
in every effort to promote the prosperity of the town, and gave 
money, time, and labor to schools, libraries, churches, benevolent 
societies, and to all organizations formed to secure public im- 
provements. He was for mau)^ years a trustee of the old Dayton 
Academy, and was instrumental in securing the emplo5'ment 
of E. E. Barney as principal. He was deeply interested in the 
second building erected by the First Presbyterian Church in 1839 
(considered a model church), and gave to it largely of his means 
and personal attention. He died in 1841, just as it was finished. 
A friend described him as noted for unyielding integrity, candor, 
moderation, kindness, and benignity. 

For fourteen j-ears Mr. Steele was associate judge of IMont- 
gomery County, elected by the Legislature, and for four years 
was a member of the Ohio Senate. "On the bench he was dis- 
tinguished for good sense, integrity, and impartiality," wrote 
Judge Crane. "As a legislator, in a period of great public 
excitement, though firm and consistent in his political opinions, 
he won the esteem and respect of his opponents by his candor 
and moderation." In 1824 he was one of the electors for Presi- 
dent and Vice-President of the United States for the State of 
Ohio. His old friend Henry Clay was his candidate. From 18 15 
to 1822 he was a director in the Daj^ton Bank, and from the latter 
date till his sudden death, in 1841, president. The stone bank 
built in 1815, converted into dwellings, still stands on Main 
Street, next to the High School. In June, 1837, the Muscatine 
Gazette said that the Dayton Bank was the only one in the United 
States that had refused to respect President Jackson's Treasury 
order, and it was one of the three banks that continued to pay 
specie during that time of financial panic. But people preferred to 
take, and even hoarded, the notes of the bank. Mr. Steele served 
m the War of 1812. After the disgraceful surrender of General 
Hull, information was sent to Dayton that the Indians assembled 
near Piqua in council, emboldened by the success of the British, 
were dangerous, and threatening to attack the inhabitants. The 
news came on Saturday, and on Sunday morning at seven o'clock 
a company of seventy men, commanded by Captain James Steele, 
were ready to march to the front. The alarm proved groundless, 
and after a few days the company returned home, but Captain 



1805- i8o9 91 

Steele was retained in the service for some time by order of Gen- 
eral Harrison, to superintend the building of blockhouses at St. 
Mary's for the protection of the people of that region. 

In November, 1812, James Steele married Phebe, daughter of 
Isaac Peirce, who served as an ofl&cer in the Revolutionary army, 
and was a member of the Ohio Company. Mr. Peirce came to 
Marietta, Ohio, from Rhode Island with his family in 1788, and 
was in 1789 one of the founders of Belpre. Mr. and Mrs. Steele 
had two sons — Robert Wilbur, born in 1819, died in 1891 and 
Joseph Peirce, born in 182 1, who entered into rest several years 
before the death of his idolized brother. 

Robert W. Steele married, first, Elizabeth Smith, and five 
children of this marriage survive' — Mary D., Sarah S., and 
Agnes C. Steele, of Dayton ; Egbert T., of Spokane, Washing- 
ton, married Louise White; William C, of Rocky Ford, Colo- 
rado, married May Carter. R. W. Steele married, second, Clara 
P. Steele, who, with one daughter, Charlotte H. vSteele, survives 
him, and lives in Da3-ton. He was for thirtj'-three years member 
of the Board of Education, and for twelve j-ears president ; was 
one of the founders of the Dayton Library Association, and served 
for many years as director and president. After it was united 
with the Public Library in i860, he was, excepting one or two 
years, till his death in 1891 a member of the Library Board. In 
1844 he was one of the incorporators of Cooper Seminary, and a 
trustee till the school passed into private hands. He was nine 
years a trustee of Miami University, appointed by the Governor 
of Ohio. From 1858 to 1891 he was president of Woodland 
Cemetery Association ; was a member, appointed b}- the Gov- 
ernor, of the Ohio State Board of Charities for five years ; was 
actively engaged all his life in promoting agricultural and horti- 
cultural societies ; was trustee of the Montgomery County 
Children's Home for nine years ; was an elder in the Third 
Street Presbyterian Church for thirty-seven years, and a member 
of that church for fifty years. In the early history of railroads 
he was much interested in promoting those improvements, and 
was a subscriber to the stock of all the railroads, excepting 
three, entering Dayton. During the Rebellion he was active in 
promoting enlistments, and in aiding in providing for the com- 
fort of the soldiers and their families. He was appointed by the 
Governor of Ohio and served as a member of the Military Com- 
mittee of INIontgomerj' County ; was a member of the Sanitary 



92 EARLY DAYTON 

Commission, and Chairman of the Citizens' Committee to assist 
in raising the Ninety-third Regiment of Ohio Volunteer Infantry. 
He loved his native town with a personal love almost as strong 
and warm as that which he felt for relatives and individual 
friends. 

The Dayton Academy was incorporated in 1807 by James 
Welsh, Daniel C. Cooper, William McClure, David Reid, John 
Folkerth, George T. Tennery, Benjamin Van Cleve, and James 
Hanna, Mr. Hanna was an influential citizen in early days. 
The family left Dayton many years ago. John Folkerth, one of 
the incorporators of the academy, was also one of the incorpora- 
tors, in 1805, of the Library Society. He was elected first Mayor 
of Dayton under the charter of 1829. -He was a man of sterling 
integrity, and a great reader of good books. He served in the 
War of 1812 as finst sergeant in Captain Steele's company. In 
the early history of the town the greater part of the deeds were 
drawn by him, and his legible but peculiar handwriting is 
familiar to many. His daughter, Mrs. William Atkin, and his 
granddaughter, Mrs. D. W. Iddings, are widely known in Dayton. 

Besides donations in money, Mr. Cooper presented for the use 
of the academy two lots on St. Clair Street, opposite Cooper 
Park, just north of Park Presbyterian Church, on which, in 1808, 
a two-story brick building was erected by subscription. He also 
gave a bell. In 1807 and 1808 a debating-club met on winter 
evenings in the academy. 

This was the only boys' school in Dayton for many years. The 
first teacher was William M Smith. He and his sons were 
prominent citizens. In his contract with the trustees he agreed 
to teach reading, writing, arithmetic, the classics, and the 
sciences. Teaching in elocution was also given prominence. In 
1815 Mr. Smith had for assi.stant Rev. James B. Findlay, who 
afterwards became a distinguished Methodist preacher. About 
1820 Mr. Smith was succeeded by Gideon McMillan, a graduate 
of the University of Glasgow, who in his advertiseiuents made 
claims to great scholarship. Succeeding teachers were Captain 
McMullin ; James H. Mitchell, a graduate of Yale, who after- 
wards followed the profession of civil engineer, and was a leading 
citizen for many years ; E. E. Barney, a graduate of Union Col- 
lege, New York, and a remarkable teacher and man. Mr. Barney, 
by the introduction of the analytical method, exercised an impor- 
tant influence on our public schools. Teachers educated by him 




From a drawing bj Eugene Wuicbi 



THK OLD ACADEMY, 18:^-1857. 



1805-1809 93 

carried these methods into the schools in advance of most places 
in the West, and gave them in their early history a high reputa- 
tion. The year before I\Ir. Barney came, 1833, the old academy 
had been sold and a new one erected on the southwest corner of 
Fourth and Wilkinson streets. The trustees this year were 
Aaron Baker, Job Haines, Obadiah B. Conover, James Steele, 
and John W. Van Cleve. In 1840 Collins Wight, long known as 
a dealer in lumber, taught in the academy. He was succeeded in 
1S44 by Milo G. Williams, a teacher of large experience and 
reputation, who remained till 1850, when the academy was 
deeded to the Board of Education. 

Among the early settlers of Dayton were Henry Bacon, Luther 
Bruen, and Jonathan Harshman — very unlike, but, nevertheless, 
all typical men. Mr. Bacon was a successful lawyer, and a man 
of unusual legal as well as literary acquirements. He served as 
prosecuting attorney, and ably discharged the duties of the 
office. He was endowed with much force and keenness of intel- 
lect, and " waked up sometimes, in addressing a jury, especially 
as a prosecutor of criminal cases, to flashes of eloquence." Two 
grandsons of Henry Bacon are prominent in Dayton — General 
Samuel B. and J. McLain Smith. 

Luther Bruen was born in New Jersey in 1783, and came to 
Dayton in 1804. He was an influential and useful citizen, and 
noted for benevolence as well as for business talent. He has a 
number of descendants — Frank, Robert, and Mary Bruen, Mrs. 
Sella Wright, David B., Quincy, and Thomas Corwin, Mrs. Susie 
Zeller, Mrs. Dr. Pauley, Mrs. Charles D. Mead, Miss Mary and 
Miss Martha and William Brady. 

Mr. Bruen was a practical abolitionist in times when to advo- 
cate antislavery principles required both moral and physical 
courage and enlightened views. A number of the founders of 
our city came to Ohio before 1808 because they did not want to 
bring up their children in a slave State. But there was little 
active opposition to what the father of one of them called " that 
great oppression" till 1832, when a respectable, industrious 
colored man, much liked b}'- every one, a refugee from Kentucky 
who had lived here three j^ears, was, in spite of protests and 
every effort for his legal protection on the part of the people, 
arrested by a party of slave catchers. The law delivered the 
negro over to his master. A great deal of sympathy and indig- 
nation were excited by this iniquitous proceeding, and citizens 



94 EARLY DAYTON 

offered to buy his freedom and prevent his separation from his 
freeborn wife. The master declined to sell, when his agents 
wrote to him, so valuable a servant, and came himself to take 
"Black Ben" to Kentucky. Arrived at Cincinnati, the captive 
was confined for the night in a fourth-story room of a hotel. 
"All being safe, as they thought, about one o'clock, when they 
were in a sound sleep, poor Ben threw himself from the window, 
which is upwards of forty feet from the pavement." He was 
dreadfully injured, but lived two days. "A poor and humble 
being of an unfortunate and degraded race, the same feeling 
which animated the signers of the Declaration of Independence 
to pledge life, fortune, and honor for liberty determined him to 
be free or die. Mr. D. left this morning with the dead body of 
his slave, to which he told me he would give decent burial in his 
own churchyard. Please tell Ben's wife of these circumstances." 
Strange to say, the words first quoted are from a letter which 
Ben's master requested a friend to write to the Dayton Journal. 
Poor Ben's capture and suicide were not forgotten in Dayton. 

Twenty-four people of color left Dayton on October 21, 1824, 
for Hayti. Their expenses were paid by the Haytian govern- 
ment, which was inviting negro emigrants from the United 
States, and sent an agent to New York to take charge of the 
large numbers who were willing to go ; but citizens afibrded aid, 
and felt much sympathy for those who went from Dayton. The 
departure was a scene of the greatest excitement — wild weeping, 
wailing, and shouting, and lamentations over the separation for 
life from friends and home ; but nearly all who went from here 
soon found their way back again to Dayton. A colonization 
society was formed November 24, 1826, and the following gentle- 
men were appointed a committee to solicit subscriptions to the 
constitution : Aaron Baker, Henrj^ Stoddard, lyUther Bruen, 
O. B. Conover, and S. S. Cleveland. 

In 1839 lyuther Bruen was able to form an antislavery society, 
of which he was elected president. On South Main Street, 'west 
side, between Fourth and Fifth streets, a church known as the 
Union or Newlight Church, which was largely- built with money 
subscribed by ]\Ir. Bruen, was erected. Here lectures by famous 
antislavery leaders were frequently delivered. The meetings 
were frequently interrupted and the speakers treated with vio- 
lence and indignity by angry proslavery crowds. In 1836 Dr. 
Birney and Rev. Mr. Rankin, who were invited to address an 



1805-1809 95 

audience at the Union Church, barely escaped with their lives, 
and were hidden away for some hours, one at the residence of 
Dr. H. Jewett, a leading physician and active Abolitionist, and 
the other at the home of his relative, Dr. John Steele, who, 
though not an Abolitionist, believed in justice and free speech. 
The mob destroyed or injured the houses of Abolitionists and 
negroes, and tore to pieces the Bible, and broke the windows and 
stove at the church. Side by side in the Jo2irnal with the 
account of the organization of the antislavery society may be 
seen one of those coal-black little pictures representing a bare- 
headed colored man, carrying a bundle hung on a stick, and with 
negro quarters in the background, making all speed for the free 
States, which so often at this date appeared in the Dayton news- 
papers. The poor fellow is described as ' ' likely and pleasant 
when spoken to, easily alarmed, and calling himself Washing- 
ton, though that was not his name." 

Jonathan Harshman came to Montgomery County from Mary- 
land, at the age of twenty-four, in 1805, and purchased forty acres 
of land in what is now Madriver Township ; but he and his 
family are so identified with Dayton that his life is part of the 
history of the town. The first three years after his arrival he 
spent in clearing his land, with the assistance of his neighbors, 
helping them in turn. In 1808 he married Susannah Rench, 
daughter of John Rench, an active and enterprising business 
man, who did much to promote the prosperity of the town. 
Among the latter's descendants are William H., Johanna, David 
C, and Charles Rench. 

Mrs. Jonathan Harshman was, like many of the pioneer women, 
of whom their grandchildren are so proud, a strong character, 
energetic, industrious, and capable in many directions. In the 
period now reached there were not only housekeeping, cooking, 
and sewing to attend to, but cows to milk, butter to churn, poultry 
to care for, the smokehouse to fill with hams, sausage, and pickled 
pork ; the vegetable garden to cultivate ^ — ^in town as well as in 
the country. All these things were the duties of a housekeeper, 
and to these multifarious labors spinning and weaving were 
added. The spinning-wheel and loom were found in most 
houses. Many yards of linsey-woolsey were woven and made 
into summer clothes for children and grown people ; while wool 
was woven into blankets, dress goods, cloth, and flannels for 
winter wear by the mistress of a family and her daughters. The 



96 EARLY DAYTON 

"help," if any was employed, was some farmer's daughter, a 
friend or acquaintance, who was literally one of the family, 
though she received wages. Frequently the help was a bound 
girl, an orphan, whom the county was obliged to support, and 
whom the commissioners placed in a private family on condition 
that she should be free at eighteen and receive from her employers, 
on leaving them, a certain sum of monej-, clothes, and specified 
articles of furniture. No wages were paid her, but she received 
for her work food, clothing, and lodging. 

In addition to his farming, Mr. Harshman engaged in milling 
and distilling, and opened with John Rench a store, trading for 
country produce, which the}- sent in flatboats for sale to Cincin- 
nati or New Orleans. He accumulated a large fortune. In 1845 
he was elected president of the Daj^ton Bank, and served until 
1850. He was a member of the Twenty-fourth General Assembly 
of Ohio. In earlier years he was a stanch Federalist, and later 
an ardent Whig. In 1840 the famous Harrison convention was 
held in Dayton on the loth of September. General Harrison, on 
his journey to Dayton, reached Jonathan Harshman's, five miles 
from town, on the evening of the 9th, and spent the night there. 
Early in the morning, his escort, which had been encamped at 
Fairview, marched to Mr. Harshman's residence, and halted till 
seven o'clock for breakfast, when it got in motion under com- 
mand of Joseph Barnett, of Dayton, and other marshals from 
Clark County. Mr. Harshman died in 1850, and his wife in 
1839. They had eight children. Elizabeth married Israel 
Huston, Catherine married Valentine Winters, Jonathan married 
Abigail Hiveling. These are all deceased, as are Mary, who 
became the wife of George Gorman, and Susannah, who married 
Daniel Beckel. Three sons — Joseph, George W., and Reuben — 
survive. 

In the fall election of 1808 one hundred and ninety-six votes 
were cast at the Dayton Court-house. This j'ear the first brick 
residence erected in town, a substantial, comfortable, two-story 
dwelling, was built by Henry Brown on the west side of Main 
Street on the alley between Second and Third streets. It was occu- 
pied till 1863 as a dwelling, and from then till it was torn down 
as a newspaper office. Mr. Brown kept in his stable a cannon, 
which, not so much becaiise it was taken down to the river bank 
by an excited crowd and fired on the very rare occasions when 
there was anything to celebrate in Dayton, as on account of its 



1805- 1 8o9 97 

imposing name, "Mad Anthon3%" was an object of awe and curi- 
osity to all the boys and girls in town. Mr. Brown was engaged 
in trade with the Indians, and had obtained this cannon from 
them in exchange for his merchandise. It had been abandoned 
in the woods by one of the regiments of the Western army. As 
it was the only cannon in town for manj- years, it was quite an 
important possession. Finally it burst, killing the patriotic 
gunner who was firing it. At one time a company of mounted 
rangers was formed in Dayton, and called for the cannon the Mad 
Anthony Troop. Wlien Mr. Brown first brought it here, it used 
to be fired on the vacant lots on Main Street, opposite his house. 

Rev. James Welsh, M.D., and Dr. John Elliott, a retired army 
surgeon, both already mentioned, were interesting characters of 
this period. Dr. Welsh was pastor of the First Presbyterian 
Church from 1804 to 1817, and also practiced medicine and kept 
a drug-store. Notices to delinquent patients over his signature, 
like the following, frequently appeared in the newspapers : "I 
must pay my debts. To do this is impracticable unless those 
who are indebted to me pay me what they owe. All such are 
once more, for the last time, called on to come forward and make 
payment before the 25th of March next, or, disagreeable as it is, 
compulsory measures may be certainly expected." The death 
of Dr. Elliott, who died in 1809, was considered a great loss to the 
community, as he was socially and professionally popular. The 
Repertory contained a eulogistic obituary, and not only citizens, 
but large numbers from the country, attended his funeral. He 
was buried with martial honors, and Captain James Steele's 
troop of horse and Captain Paul Butler's company of infantry 
headed the procession to the Sixth-Street cemetery. These two 
military organizations were probabl}' formed for defense against 
the Indians, at this date restive and threatening. 

Between 1808 and 1810 Dayton began to grow and prosper. Two 
editors, a minister, a lawyer, a school-teacher, and three physi- 
cians were numbered among the inhabitants, and there were five 
stores and three taverns, all doing well. A square or two on 
First Street, and the west side of Main Street from Newcom's 
Tavern to the Court-house alle3', except the corner on which 
stood McCullum's Tavern, and the site of Reid's Inn, were 
occupied by residences, separated from each other by several 
vacant lots. The east side of Main Street was not built up, and 
was covered with hazel bushes and wild fruit-trees, except the 
7 



98 EARLY DAYTON 

lots from the High School alley to the southeast corner of Main 
and First streets, which were occupied by Grimes's Tavern and 
Cooper & Compton's and Steele & Peirce's stores. The first-named 
store fronted on First Street. Dwellings were built close to the 
pavement, with no ground between, but there were large yards 
at the side and back of the houses. Streets were not graveled, 
no care was taken of walks, and fences were of the stake-and- 
rider or post-and-rail order. 

Grimes's Tavern stood on the south corner of the first alley 
south of Monument Avenue. It was a one-story-and-a-half log 
house, and in the alley back of it were a log barn and feed-yard. 
A few years later, when it had ceased to be kept by its original 
owner, several frame additions and a large dining-room having 
been added, it became a popular place for parties and balls. 
Colonel John Grimes, the proprietor, was the father of Alexander 
Grimes, and the grandfather of Charles G. Grimes. Alexander 
Grimes was for many years (1831-1843) cashier of the Dayton 
Bank, and also in 1819 a director. No one was more thoroughly 
identified with this bank than he. On the ist of January, 1843, 
he, as agent, closed up the affairs of the bank. At an early day 
he was in partnership with Steele and Peirce, under the name of 
Grimes & Company. In 1817 the firm was dissolved. Mr. 
Grimes married, first, Miss Gordon, and, second, Miss Maria 
Greene, a member of a leading Dayton family. In connection 
with Edward Davies, he was trustee of the estate of David 
Zeigler Cooper, heir of D. C. Cooper. The property rapidly 
increased in value, and was also a great benefit to Dayton as a 
result of their prudent and liberal management. Mr. Grimes 
served in the War of 1812. 

Reid's Inn stood on the west side of Main Street, between First 
and Second streets, the present site of the First Baptist Church. 
The proprietor earned his title by service in the War of 1812. He 
was in command of the First Battalion of the First Regiment of 
Ohio Militia. The inn parlor was a favorite place for public 
meetings, in which Colonel Reid was a leading spirit, and in the 
large barnyard for years the menageries and museums which 
visited the town annually always gave their exhibitions. The 
"Inn or House of Entertainment]" — as, to escape the tavern 
license of ten dollars, it was called.in the advertisement inserted 
in the new.spaper — kept by Colonel Reid was a frame building 
two stories high, with a belfry for the dinner-bell. On the large 



1805- 1 8o9 99 

sign which, after the War of 181 2, hung in a .square frame from 
a tall post on the edge of the sidewalk, was painted a portrait 
of Commodore Lawrence, and a scroll bearing the words, " Don't 
give up the ship." The original small sign of the tavern, "Reid's 
Inn," hung below the larger one. Mr. Samuel Forrer, who staid 
at the inn in 1818, when he spent some time here, not then 
having become a permanent resident, "enjoying the hospitalities 
of the place, and the pleasures derived from the manly sports of 
those times," describes Colonel Reidas *' a good man and excel- 
lent landlord." To Colonel Reid's very competent and energetic 
wife was, of course, due the bountiful, well-cooked meals and 
comfortable beds of Reid's Inn. 

On the i8th of September, 1808, William McClure and George 
Smith began to edit and publish the second Da3-ton newspaper, 
the Repertory. It contained four pages of two columns each, was 
eight by twelve and one-half inches in size, and printed with 
old-fashioned type on a second-hand press. When five numbers 
had appeared, it was suspended till 1809, when Henry Disbrow 
and William McClure revived it as a twelve-by-twenty-inch sheet. 
It was published on Second Street, between Main and Jefferson 
streets, till 1810, when it ceased to exist. It was principally 
filled with foreign news several months old, but some local items 
can be gleaned from the file in the Public Library. Paul D. 
Butler advertises his ' ' large and commodious house for sale ; will 
answer for almost any business ; good well and pump at the 
door, frame stable." Henry Disbrow offers a house and two 
lots, agreeing to take in pa3'ment "such produce as will suit the 
Orleans market," instead of cash, describing the property as 
" an elegant two-story frame house [not all the houses were log 
at this date], forty-five feet front and twent5'-four feet back; a 
good kitchen adjoining ; good well of water at the door ; good 
nail factory and stable ; situation good for either tavern or store ; 
post-and-rail fence." Advertisements are inserted by John 
Compton, H. G. Phillips, and Steele & Peirce, merchants ; John 
Dodson, carpenter ; John Hanna, weaving establishment, south 
end of Main Street; John Strain & Co., nail factory; James 
Beck, blue-dying establishment; David Steele, cooper-shop, First 
Street, near St. Clair ; Thomas Nutt, tailor ; Matthew Patton, 
cabinet-maker. The advertisement of Mr. Patton is found in 
every number of the paper, showing that he had something of 
the modern enterprise in this respect. He served as first corporal 



lOO KARLY DAYTON 

in Captain Steele's company in 1812. He lived to an old age in 
Dayton and was highly respected and esteemed. He was the 
father of Captain William Patton, and has several grandchildren. 
One of the earliest settlers and business men was Abrara 
Danst, who came here from Virginia in 1805. "He was a man 
of sterling integrit}-, highly esteemed by the community, and 
occupied man}- positions of trust and usefulness. Mr. Darst 
died in 1865, aged eighty-three. His wife lived to be ninety-five, 
dying in 1882. She was a remarkable character, a typical pioneer 
woman, full of energy, and gifted with the faculty of taking 
excellent care of a large household, and at the same time assist- 
ing her husband in his business, as was the almost universal 
custom in that day." Life here was very much what it is at the 
present day among educated people in many a far Western set- 
tlement, who have gone west to make their fortunes. American 
women, when there is need of special effort, always prove that 
their sex in America has not degenerated during the past one 
hundred years. Many a lesson of cheerfulness, patience, indus- 
try, and thrift might be learned from the laborious, but contented, 
and, in the end, prosperous lives of the wives of the founders of 
Dayton. One of our wealthiest old merchants attributed his 
success largely to the assistance of his wife, brought up in a 
fashionable circle in an Eastern city. What was true of her was 
true of many others. When Robert Edgar was absent in the 
army during the War of 1812, his wife remained alone with her 
family in her lonely cabin, on the site of the Water Works, not 
only doing all the work of her hoiisehold herself, but taking 
charge of the farm, so that when her husband returned things 
were not much less prosperous with them than when he left. But 
think of the burden of responsibility, labor, and anxiety that 
Mrs. Edgar and other wives of soldiers of 1812 bore in that dark 
era. Mr. and Mrs. Darst had ten children, of whom Miss Phebe 
and Mr. John W. Darst alone survive. Julia married James 
Perrine ; Christina, W. B. Dix ; Mary, Jacob Wilt ; Sarah, W. C. 
Davis; Martha, George M. Dixon; and Napoleon B., Susannah, 
daughter of Valentine Winters, so that Abram Darst has many 
descendants in Dayton. We can only mention A. D. Wilt, 
Charles W., Fred T., John.son P., Samuel B., and Rolla Darst, 
Mrs. Edward Fuller, Mrs. Joseph E. Bimm, INIiss Fanny and 
Miss Mary Dixon, Mrs. George W. Shaw, Mrs. E. E. Barney, 
Miss Martha Perrine, who are grandchildren. 




FIRST PUKSUVTKKIAN CIIIKCII, iS.Jit-l.Sti; 



CHAPTER VI 

1809-1812 

William Eakek— George W. Smith — Roads — Journeys to the East— Goods 
Brought by Conestoga Wagons and Broadhorns to Ohio — Packhorses 
Moving Up Main Street— Groceries from New Orleans by Keel-Boats — A 
Voyage from New Orleans Described— Country Stores— Drinking Customs 
— Flatboating South— Excitement When the Fleets of Boats Left Dayton 
—Arrival of a Large Keel-Boat— Fourth of July from 1809 to 1840— The 
First Drug-Store — Indians and Wild Animals Both Troublesome— Re- 
wards for Wolf-Scalps — New Sidewalks and Ditches or Gutters— OTiio 
Cenrinei- Earthquakes— William HufTman- Ohio Militia Encamped at 
Dayton — Business Beginning of 1812— Horatio G. Phillips— J. D. Phillips 
— Obadiah B. Conover. 

No TWO Daytonians were ever more useful and prominent than 
William Eaker and George W. Smith. For a time they were in 
partnership. Mr. Eaker came here from Carlisle, Pennsylvania, 
at a very early day. He opened a store on Main Street in 
i8ii, removing later to old Market or Second Street, where he 
continued in business till his death in 1848, making a large 
fortune. He was a stockholder and director in the first Dayton 
bank, founded in 1813, and remained a director till the bank 
ceased business in 1843. His store was very popular with cus- 
tomers, and he was indeed a general favorite in business and 
social circles, and noted for kind deeds. Probity, integrity, and 
goodness of heart were traits of character continually manifested 
by him during the course of his long residence here, and gained 
him the esteem and confidence of all. He was a stanch friend 
to all young men just entering business, as at the time of his 
death man}^ prominent merchants and manufacturers were ready 
to testify. He was always a generous supporter of efforts to 
improve the town. He gave liberally to churches and charitable 
institutions. "At the outbreak of the Mexican War, he was 
one of the committee of citizens who pledged themselves to look 
after the families of volunteers, and to care for them in case the 
soldiers did not return. In every case these pledges were sacredly 
kept." In 181 7 he married Letitia Lowr>', who survived him 

101 



I02 EARLY DAYTON 

thirty-four years. She was boru in what is now a part of Spring- 
field, Ohio, in 1799. Her father, Archibald Lowry, was the son 
of David Lowry, of Donnel's Creek, who came to the site of 
Dayton with the surveying party in 1795. He is mentioned in 
an earlier chapter as the first to send a flatboat south from Day- 
ton, in 1799. Mr. and Mrs. Eaker are represented in Daj-ton by 
their only daughter. Miss Belle Eaker. The three sons — Frank, 
Charles, and William Eaker — are deceased. 

George W. Smith, a native of England, came to Dayton from 
Virginia in 1804, and lived here till his death in 1841, at the 
age of fifty-seven. After dissolving partnership with Mr. Eaker, 
he was in business with Robert A. Edgar, and later with his 
son George. As he was a merchant, he was of course engaged 
in flatboating to the south. He built, near what is now known 
as Harries Station, extensive flouring-mills, a distillery, and 
houses for his workmen, calling the place Smithville. He was a 
man of wealth, and left a large estate. His first wife was a Miss 
Todd. Their two children died young. He married, second, 
Eliza Manning, and they had five children : James Manning, — 
lately deceased, leaving one daughter. Miss Lida Smith, — married 
Miss Caroline Shoup ; George W. ; Sophia, married Isaac H. 
Kiersteid ; Louisa, married Captain Fletcher, U. S. A. ^ Ann, 
deceased, married W. G. Sheeley. 

Roads, narrow, muddy, or cut up into deep ruts, were now 
opened to Piqua, New Lexington, Salem, Greenville, Xenia, 
Germantown, Lebanon, Franklin, and Miamisburg. Two years 
later a bridle-path was cut to Vincennes, two hundred miles 
distant. The State Road, known as the "Old Corduroy- Road," 
which ran east and west through town, was built the same 
year. This was a road only in name, being almost impassable 
in wet weather. Mud-holes and low places were filled with 
poles, which floated, and through which the horses' feet would 
sink. Travelers were dela3^ed for hours by such mishaps. In 1812 
three roads used by the army were kept in tolerable condition. 
With this exception, till 1839 roads were either so muddy or so 
rough that it was difficult to drive or ride over them. Roads 
were poor even in more thickly settled regions. The journeys 
of our Dayton merchants to Philadelphia to buy goods, and of 
their wives to the old homes in the East, were made on horse- 
back, with clothes packed in saddlebags, and babies carried in a 
net swung around the father's neck, and resting on the pommel 



1809- :8i2 103 

of his saddle. The bridgeless streams had to be forded. "Is 
he a good swimmer?" was a common question, when a man 
was trying to sell a horse to a customer. It was necessary to 
carry arms, as the road for miles passed through unsettled forests, 
along an unbroken track, marked only b}' blazed trees and where 
Indians and wild beasts lurked. Travelers usually camped for 
the night, and ate and slept on the ground. The journey east 
could be made from Cincinnati to Pittsburg in a flatboat, but 
public convej'ances of any kind were unknown. 

Goods for Dayton merchants were brought as far as Pittsburg 
from Philadelphia, then the center of trade, in Conestoga wagons, 
and from Pittsburg to Cincinnati by river in "broadhorns" ; 
thence they were either poled up the Miami, or brought here on 
packhorses. It was a common sight to see long line-teams, 
— often a dozen horses tied together, — in single file, the leader 
wearing a bell, and each horse carrying two hundred pounds, 
moving up Main Street. A train of this length was accompanied 
by three or four men, equipped with rifle, ammunition, ax, and 
blankets. Game in the woods supplied them with food. Men 
were stationed at each end, to take care of the leader and hind 
horse, keep the train in motion, and watch over the goods. Some- 
times the train was composed of loose horses, taught to follow 
each other without being fastened together. Bells were attached 
at night to all the horses, and then they were turned out to graze. 

Occasionally Dayton merchants purchased groceries brought 
up from New Orleans to Cincinnati in keel-boats or barges, and 
hauled here, about 1812, — when the army kept the road in toler- 
able condition, — in wagons. 

The difficulties of an up-stream voyage are described in the 
following letter, written from Cincinnati, December 29, 1812, bj' 
Baum & Perry to Steele & Peirce, and found among the papers 
of the latter firm nearl}^ eighty years after they received it : "We 
have just had the arrival of our barge from New Orleans. She 
was delayed at the falls for nearly two weeks before she could 
get over, detained five or six days waiting for the loading to be 
hauled from the lower landing to the upper, and finally had to 
come away with part of her cargo only, there being no wagons 
to be had, and ever since she left that place has been obliged to 
force her way for two weeks past through the ice. These are the 
circumstances which prevented her coming sooner. Knowing 
that sugar is much wanting at }'our place, have thought it advis- 



I04 EARLY DAYTON 

able to load Mr. Enoch's wagon, and let it proceed to your town 
with that article, to wit, with six boxes, weighing as follows : 
438 pounds for Mr. Henry Brown ; 448 pounds, Cooper & Bur- 
net ; 432 pounds, Isaac Spining ; 480 pounds, Robert Wilson ; 510 
pounds, Steele & Peirce ; 430 pounds, Major Churchill." Freight- 
age by wagon was one dollar per hundredweight. If a single 
box of sugar were taken, the price was twenty cents a pound, 
and eighteen and three-quarter cents per pound was charged if 
three boxes were bought. 

Dayton merchants kept genuine country stores, and sold a 
very miscellaneous variety of articles. In front, close to the 
street, hitching-posts and feed-boxes were provided. Bottles of 
various kinds of liquor, principally whisky, — regarded in those 
days, according to Curwen, as "the elixir and solace of life," 
even by ministers and their most conscientious parishioners, — 
were displayed, flanked by glasses, on the counter, customers 
being expected to help themselves. Purchases were usually 
paid for in wheat, rye, corn, beeswax, tallow, corn-fed pork, and 
similar products that would sell at New Orleans ; but cash was 
demanded if the grain, pork, etc., could not be delivered in time 
for the annual spring trip south by flatboat. 

Flatboating south was a necessity', for there was no sale in 
Ohio for the articles received in exchange for goods by our mer- 
chants. The Great Miami was down on the map as a navigable 
stream, and towards the close of the flatboating era, and later, 
there were many attempts to introduce steamboats. Until 1828 
our merchants depended principally upon keel-boats, built some- 
what like canal-boats, and on flatboats for their connection with 
New Orleans, the only market for Western produce. Flatboat- 
men sold their boats — only used in descending streams, and kept 
in the channel by long, sweeping oars, fastened at both ends of the 
boat — when they arrived at New Orleans, purchased a horse, and 
rode home. The boats were inclosed and roofed with boards. On 
account of changes or obstructions in the channel or low water, it 
sometimes took a Dayton boat three weeks to reach Cincinnati. 

May 24, 1809, the Repertory contains the first notice of a 
Dayton flatboat published here. It says : "A flat-bottomed 
boat, owned by Mr. Compton, of this place, descended the Great 
Miami yesterday. She was loaded with pork, flour, bacon, and 
whisky, and destined for Fort Adams." Later it is stated that 
" Mr. Compton's boat got safely through to the Ohio. Notwith- 



1809- i8i2 105 

standing the representations made of the dangers of navigating 
the Great Miami, we are well convinced that nothing is wanting 
but care and attention to take our boats with safety from this 
place." Among the dangers encountered were dams and fish- 
baskets, or traps, which often wrecked the boats. Sometimes 
boatmen destroyed, or tried to destroy, these obstructions, the 
owners defending their property, and serious or fatal injuries 
resulting on both sides. 

Between 1809 and 18 10 Paul Butler and Henry Disbrow estab- 
lished a freight line of keel-boats between Dayton, Laramie, and 
St. Mary's, connecting our town with Lake Erie by way of the 
Miami, Auglaize, and Maumee rivers. They built the two keel- 
boats used for this line in the middle of Main Street, in front of 
the Court-house. When finished, they were moved on rollers up 
Main Street to the river and launched. Nine flatboats left on the 
13th or 14th of May, 181 1, for New Orleans. A private letter 
dated Dayton, March 28, 1812, says : " We had a snowstorm on 
Sunday last, eight inches deep, but, as it went off immediately, it 
did not swell the river sufiiciently to let Phillips and Smith's 
boat out." It was customary for boats to wait for a freshet before 
starting. At the head of Wilkinson Street stood for many years 
Broadwell's old red warehouse, where shipments were made, and 
which was the scene in the spring of much hurry, bustle, and 
business. It was swept down stream itself in the flood of 1828. 
Boats built up the river used to come here, tie up, and wait for a 
freshet, when all the boats bound for New Orleans would set off 
together in a fleet. The departure of the fleet was an exciting 
event to farmers, distillers, millers, merchants, teamsters, boat- 
men, and the people generally, as the following description from 
the Dayton Watchman of May 26, 1825, indicates: "Rain had 
fallen on Wednesday, and continued till Friday, when the river 
rose. The people flocked to the banks, returning with cheerful 
countenances, saying, 'The boats will get off.' On Saturday all 
was the busy hum of a seaport ; wagons were conveying flour, pork, 
whisky, etc., to the different boats strung along the river. Sev- 
eral arrived during the day from the north. On Sunday morning 
others came down, the water began to fall, and the boats, carrying 
about forty thousand dollars' worth of the produce of the coun- 
try, got under way." In May, 1819, the Watchman announces, as 
a matter of public rejoicing, the arrival of a keel-boat from Cin- 
cinnati belonging to H. G. Phillips and Messrs. Smith & Eaker. 



I06 EARIvY DAYTON 

It was the first keel-boat that had for a number of years, on ac- 
count of obstructions, ascended the Miami. The boat was over 
seventy feet long, and carried twelve tons of merchandise. 

The Fourth of July was a grand occasion in Dayton in the first 
quarter of the nineteenth century. A public meeting was held 
beforehand, at which a committee of arrangements was appointed. 
Benjamin Van Cleve, Owen Davis, and William M. Smith served 
in 1S09. The militia and the people from town and country, 
forming on the river bank at the head of Main Street, marched 
in procession to the Court-house. Here they heard an oration 
and patriotic songs ; after which, reforming, they marched to the 
house of Henry Disbrow, where an elegant dinner was served, 
tickets costing fifty cents. Toasts were drunk and salutes were 
fired by the military companies, commanded by Captain Butler 
and Captain Steele. The afternoon was spent in sports and 
games, and there was a dance in the evening. In 1810 there was 
also a procession from the river to the Court-house, where the 
following exercises were listened to : Singing of an ode, prayer 
b}' Dr. Welsh, reading of the Declaration of Independence by 
Benjamin Van Cleve, and an oration by Joseph H. Crane. "The 
oration was eloquent and well adapted to the occasion." At 
noon there was a public dinner served under a bower, where 
seventeen toasts were drunk, a salute being fired as each toast 
was given. 

In 181 1 Dr. N. Edwards, Joseph H. Crane, and Joseph Peirce 
were the committee of arrangements. The procession was 
preceded by a sermon from Dr. Welsh, and followed at the 
Court-house bj' the usual exercises, Joseph H. Crane reading the 
Declaration, and Benjamin Van Cleve delivering the oration. 
This year political animosity, hitherto unknown in Dayton, 
had become so bitter that members of the two parties declined 
to dine together, as had been the custom on the Fourth of 
July, and unite in drinking toasts prepared by the committee 
of arrangements. There were two dinners, each under a bower 
prepared for the occasion ; one at Mr. Strain's and the other at 
Mr. Graham's, formerly Newcom's. Each company drank 
seventeen patriotic toasts, and then an eighteenth toast, express- 
ing their political opinions. Mr. Graham's guests drank to the 
accompaniment of a discharge of small arms the "Health of 
Thomas Jefferson, Eate President of the United States." At 
Mr. Strain's the final toast was, "May our young Americans 



1809-1812 I07 

have firmness enough to defend their rights without joining 
any Tammany chib or society." And it was drunk "under a 
discharge of cannon and loud and repeated cheerings." There 
was the usual military parade in the afternoon and a dance in the 
evening. Military companies were popular and militia trainings 
gala occasions. Business was suspended and crowds flocked into 
town to witness the drill and parade, when, as on September 17, 
iSio, Colonel Jerome Holt assembled the Fifth Regiment for 
training purposes. 

In 1S15 the young ladies of Dayton were invited to join the 
Fourth-of-July procession, assembling at Colonel Grimes's tavern. 
After the speeches, etc., at the Court-house, the procession 
marched to Republican Spring, where ladies and gentlemen 
dined together, as had not been the custom before on the national 
holiday. In 1816 the public meeting to make preparations for the 
Fourth of July was held at Reid's Inn. Dr. John Steele acted as 
chairman, and Benjamin Van Cleve as secretary, and Captain 
James Steele, Dr. Charles Este, George W. Smith, Fielding Gos- 
ney, James Lodge, Colonel John Anderson, and David Griffin 
were appointed a committee of arrangements. After the proces- 
sion on the Fourth, Dr. Charles Este read the Declaration of 
Independence, and Benjamin Van Cleve Washington's farewell 
address. One hundred persons dined together at the house of 
Captain J. Rhea. Isaac Spining presided, and William George and 
Dr. Este were chosen vice-presidents of the occasion. Nineteen 
patriotic toasts were drunk with great hilarity. At four o'clock 
in the afternoon the ladies and gentlemen of the town and coun- 
trj' "partook of a magnificent repast, furnished by the ladies, in 
the shade of the adjacent woods." In the evening there was a 
concert of vocal music at Mr. Bomberger's residence and a ball at 
Colonel Reid's inn. 

In 1822 new features were introduced. Church bells were rung 
and cannons fired at daj^break and a flag run up on the town flag- 
staff". The exercises were held at the First Presbyterian Church. 
The procession was headed by the newly raised light infantrj' 
companies and riflemen. Captain Grimes's company wore a yel- 
low roundabout coat, green collar and cuffs, white pantaloons, 
and red leggings. Captain Dodds's compan3' were dressed in 
white roundabout, trimmed with black cord, pantaloons the 
same, and a citizen's hat with red feather. Captain Dixon's 
riflemen wore blue cloth roundabouts, trimmed with white cord, 



Io8 EARLY DAYTON 

and white pantaloons. Captain Windbrenner's men were dressed 
in gray cloth coatees, trimmed with black cord, and pantaloons 
to correspond. After the militia came four Revolutionary veter- 
ans — Colonel Robert Patterson, Simeon Broadwell, Richard 
Bacon, and Isaac Spining, guarding the American flag and lib- 
erty cap. Judge Crane read the Declaration, and Stephen Fales 
"delivered a highly interesting and animating oration." The 
music ' ' would have done honor to any place, and reflected great 
credit on the singers." The gentlemen dined at Mr. Squier's 
tavern. Judge Crane being elected president of the day, and 
Judge Steele and H. G. Phillips vice-presidents. After the reg- 
ular toasts, the following volunteer toasts were given : By Judge 
Crane, " De Witt Clinton, the Able and Persevering Supporter of 
Internal Improvements" ; by Judge Steele, "The Contemplated 
Canal from the Waters of ]\Iad River to Those of the Ohio " ; by 
Stephen Fales, ' ' The Memory of General Wayne, the Deliverer 
of Ohio"; by Colonel Stebbins, ofl&cer of the day, "The Presi- 
dent of the Day — a Descendant of a Revolution ar}' Ofiicer, one of 
the first settlers in this place, and who has borne the heat and 
burden of the day with us : as distinguished for his modesty as 
his worth, his is the popularity that follows, not that which is 
pursued " ; by Judge Spining, " May the cause that first inspired 
the heroes of '76 to shake off" the chains of slavery be very dear, 
and supported by all true Americans"; by the four Revolution- 
ary veterans, "The Heroes of the Revokition, that fell to secure 
the blessings of this day to us : may their children so maintain 
them that America maj'^ be a republic of Christians on the last 
day of time." 

The first "jubilee of the United States," commemorating the 
fiftieth anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, was 
celebrated July 4, 1826, bj^ a procession from the Court-house, 
services at the brick church, — First Presbyterian, — a dinner at 
Mr. Rollman's tavern, — formerly Newcom's, — and a picnic at the 
medical spring near the present buildings of St. Mary's Institute 
on Brown Street. The Declaration was read by J W. Van Cleve, 
and an oration was delivered by Peter P. Lowe. In 1832 Edward 
W. Davies read the Declaration, and Robert A. Thruston delivered 
an oration. Adam Houk was marshal of the procession, and 
G. C. Davis, Robert C. Schenck, Jefferson Patterson, Peter P, 
Lowe, and George Engle assistant marshals. The following 
gentlemen were the committee of arrangements : Thomas Clegg, 




.2 » 



1809- lSl2 109 

Charles G. Swain, David C. Baker, Charles R. Greene, George 
Grove, William Eaker, Peter Baer, Johnson V. Perrine, William 
Roth, John Engel, David Davis, Thomas Morrison, F. F. Carrell, 
Samuel Foley, and Thomas Brown. In 1840 the Declaration, 
" prefaced by some happ3^ remarks," was read by John G. L,owe, 
and Peter Odlin was the orator of the da3^ The exercises were 
held at the Third Street Presbyterian Church. The Dayton Grays 
and the Washington Artillery, a new military company, paraded. 

In April, 1809, Dr. Wood opened, in Reid's Inn, the first drug- 
store established here, advertising in the Repertofy "medicines 
in the small" for sale. The first political convention held in 
Montgomery County convened September 6 of this year at the 
Court-house, David Reid, moderator ; Benjamin Van Cleve, clerk. 
Six hundred votes were cast at the election, and the following 
ticket was elected : State Legislature, Joseph H. Crane, Mont- 
gomery County, David Purviance, Preble County ; sheriff, Jerome 
Holt ; coroner, David Squier ; commissioner, John Folkerth. 

Both Indians and wild animals were still troublesome in 1810. 
The Montgomery County commissioners paid thirtj^ dollars in 
reward for wolf-scalps this year, and twenty -two dollars in 181 1. 
There were two thousand four hundred Indians in Ohio in 1810; 
five hundred and fifty-nine lived at Wapakoneta, and many were 
now encamped at Greenville. Dayton people were very anxious, 
for Tecumseh and his brother, "the Prophet," were uniting the 
Indians in the West and South in a league against the whites, 
which two years later was useful to the British. 

The town was slowly improving. The population in 1810 was 
three hundred and eighty-three. This year the Select Council 
provided for new sidewalks along Monument Avenue, then 
Water Street, from Main to Mill Street ; on First, from Ludlow 
to St. Clair, except the south side of First, between Jefferson 
and St. Clair, and on Main, from Monument Avenue to Third 
Street. The ordinance directed the walks to be "laid with stones 
or brick, or to be completelj^ graveled, and a ditch dug along the 
outer edge." People were forbidden, "except when it was abso- 
lutely necessar}'-," to drive over the walks, and fines collected 
for infringing this law were to be appropriated for paving street- 
crossings. This ordinance caused general rejoicing, both among 
townspeople and visitors from the country, as is stated in the 
Ohio Ce7itinel, a weekly newspaper eleven by nine inches in 
size, — a four-column folio, — which, on the 26th of July, sue- 



no EARLY DAYTON 

ceeded the Repertory. Isaac G. Burnett, a man of talent and 
education, was the editor and publisher till 1813, when it was 
discontinued from want of patronage, most of the men being 
away with the army, and the women too busy with farm and 
domestic work to have time for reading. It was a very good 
paper, and the editorials are still interesting reading to any one 
who cares for our early history. It contained the official and 
legal announcements for the whole Northwest Territory, and 
had a large circulation as far as Detroit and Chicago. It was 
"Republican" in principle, but was far from being exclusively 
political. Its motto was, "With slight shades of difference, we 
have the same religion, manners, habits, and political principles." 

In 181 1 a comet was visible, and there were severe shocks of 
earthquakes throughout the Ohio Valley from 181 1 to 1812. It 
was at this date that New Madrid, on the Mississippi, was 
entirely destroyed by earthquake. The superstitious were ter- 
rified by these "signs and portents" in sky and earth, regarding 
them as ominous of public or private misfortune. The Ohio Cen- 
tinel gives graphic accounts of the shocks felt here on December 
16 and 17, 181 1 ; January 23 and 27, and February 13, 1812. 
While the alarming shocks were occurring at Dayton, the news- 
papers were filled with frightful descriptions of the catastrophe 
at New Madrid and startling earthquake news from other quar- 
ters, and it is no wonder that citizens read these reports with awe 
and dread, feeling that it was not improbable that a similar fate 
was in store for them. This year of disaster made a deep and 
never- forgotten impression. In illn.stration of the force of the 
earthquake on the i6th and 17th of December, when the earth 
was in a continual tremor, a pioneer grandmother used to relate 
an anecdote of a flighty little woman, who, partly for the purpose 
of asserting her own courage, of which, in fact, she had not a 
particle, and partly from a spirit of mischief and desire to shock 
her awestruck friends, threw herself laughingly on the ground, 
exclaiming: "How delightfully the world rocks! I like the 
motion." The poor, frightened lady probably thought it better 
philosophy to laugh than to cry ; but the village gossips consid- 
ered such conduct very unbecoming, and proof positive that she 
was an atheist. 

The revenue of Montgomery County for 1811-12 was 11,748.87 ; 
the expenditures, $968.60. 

In 1812 William Huffman came to Dayton from New Jersey. 



1809- l8l2 III 

He was for many years successfully engaged in business as a 
merchant and speculator in real estate. His stone house, the 
first stone residence built in Dayton, and which, according to 
pioneer habits, was both dwelling and store, stood on Jefferson 
and Third streets, on the site of the Beckel House. He and his 
wife lived to be very aged. Their son, William P. Huffman, 
deceased, was an enterprising citizen, doing much to build up 
the town. There were four daughters : Mary Ann, married 
Rev. David Winters ; Catharine, Morris Seely ; Eliza J., Alexan- 
der Simms ; Lydia A., first, William H. Merriam, second, John 
Harries. Grandchildren : William H. Simms, Mrs. Ziba Craw- 
ford, William, Frank, George, Torrence, and Annie Huffman, 
Mrs. E. J. Barney, Mrs. J. R. Hedges, Mrs. C. F. Drury. 

In January, 181 2, the Government began to raise troops for the 
war with Great Britain. While the Ohio militia were encamped 
in Dayton, the rendezvous for the troops, D. C. Cooper employed 
them to dig a mill-race. The army also brought work and busi- 
ness of other kinds to town. Early in 1812 Joseph Peirce wrote 
to his brother-in-law, James Steele, who had gone east to buy 
goods: "Business quite as good as could be expected. Gro- 
ceries, especially cofiee, are scarce in town. I think eight or ten 
barrels would not be too much for us, if they can be purchased 
cheap. A good assortment of muslins to sell at twent3"-five cents 
would be desirable, and if L. Pascson can furnish you with them as 
cheap for four months as for cash, I would purchase pretty largely. ' ' 
Soon after, he wrote to another relative that he had been so over- 
whelmed with business since the arrival of the troops that he had 
not had time to attend to his private correspondence. 

Horatio G. Phillips was one of the several merchants who laid 
the foundations of large fortunes in 1812. He was a native of 
New Jersey, and the son of Captain Jonathan and Mary Forman 
Phillips. He was born in 1783. His father was an ofiicer in the 
Revolutionary army. In 1803 H. G. Phillips and a party of 
friends came west to seek a new home. At Cincinnati, on his 
return from a visit to Natchez, Mississippi, where he had had 
some thought of settling, he met D. C. Cooper, a New Jersey ac- 
quaintance, and at his invitation came to Dayton in the winter 
of 1804-05. At the close of the year 1S05 he made the long, 
lonely journej'- on horseback, without a companion, to Phila- 
delphia. Having purchased goods in that city, he went to 
Ivawrenceville, New Jersey, where, on April 10, 1806, he was mar- 



112 EARIvY DAYTON 

ried to Miss Eliza Smith Houston. The journey to Ohio was 
made on horseback to Pittsburg, thence by flatboat to Cincinnati, 
and from the latter place to Dayton in a wagon. Their home till 
1812 was a two-story log house on the southwest corner of First 
and Jefferson streets. His vStore was in his dwelling. In 1809 he 
took his wife and their infant daughter back to New Jersey on a 
visit to the old home. They traveled on horseback, a lead-horse 
carrying their baggage. J. N. C. Schenck, of Franklin, Charles 
Russell Greene, and other merchants, going east for goods, trav- 
eled with them, all the men of the party being armed with rifles, 
as roaming bands of Indians made the journey through the 
woods dangerous. There were now occasional taverns, where a 
night could be spent in primitive style. 

In 1812 Mr. Phillips built a two-story brick store and a resi- 
dence on the southeast corner of Main and Second streets. 
Dayton was at this period the thoroughfare of all regiments 
and wagons bound for the seat of war, and the army brought a 
great deal of trade to Mr. Phillips and other business men. 
Troops were always stationed here, and their purchases added 
largely to the profits of our merchants. In 1812-13 Mr. Houston, 
whom Mr. Phillips sent to Philadelphia to purchase goods, bought 
more largely than the latter intended, and fearing the stock could 
not all be disposed of here, he opened a store at Troy, with Mr. 
Houston in charge. Fortunately, the war created a demand for 
pork, whisky, flour, and grain, taken in exchange for merchan- 
dise, and he accumulated a large amount of these articles at 
Troy and Daj'ton, which he sold at good prices at those towns, 
or at the forts between New Lexington and Urbana. In 1815 he 
opened a third store in Greenville, under the control of Easton 
Morris. He was actively engaged in business for many years, 
and retired in his old age. He was one of the founders of the 
first Dayton bank, and was interested in woolen mills at Hole's 
Creek. In 1830, in partnership with Alexander Grimes and 
Moses Smith, he laid out the town of Alexandersville. In 1843 
or 1844 he, with others, purchased from John Kneisley the 
water-power afterwards owned by the Dayton H3'draulic Com- 
pany. His partners were Daniel Beckel, J. D. Phillips, and S. D. 
Edgar. He was an ardent advocate of the building of turnpikes. 
The Phillips House, built in 1850, was named in his honor. In 
1831 Mrs. Phillips died. "By her death society lost one of its 
most hospitable and gifted members and the church a liberal 



giver and an earnest, unselfish worker." In 1836 Mr. Phillips 
married Mrs. C. P. Irwin, who survived him many years. By 
his first marriage he had three children who lived to grow up : 
Elizabeth, deceased, who married John G. Worthington, and with 
her son and daughter lived in Washington ; Jonathan Dickinson, 
born December 31, 1812, married Luciana Z. Greene, and died in 
1871, his wife dying in 18S1 ; Mariana Louisa, born March 30, 1814, 
married, first, Robert A. Thruston, and, second, John G. Lowe. 

J. D. Phillips was a man of culture and taste, and very gener- 
ous and public-spirited. When he gave anything to his native 
city, — and his gifts were large and frequent, — it was, if possible, 
beautiful as well as appropriate and useful. He was one of the 
founders of, and a very liberal contributor to, the Public Library, 
and the extent of his gifts in that and other directions was 
known only to a few intimate friends. He was a warm friend 
of the Public Library, and (about 1849) proposed to construct 
a room on the second floor of his new building especially adapted 
to the use of the library, and lease it to the association on verj- 
favorable terms. The proposition was accepted, and a room forty 
by sixt}' feet, with lofty ceiling, supported through the center 
by Corinthian columns, was prepared. This room was elegantl}' 
furnished by special subscription, at a cost of over two thousand 
dollars. It is safe to say that at that day there was no library- 
room in Ohio outside of Cincinnati that could compare with it 
in beauty and convenience. The room was finished in white and 
gold. A pair of handsome, large, revolving globes, in tall stands, 
and other ornamental and useful articles were, in addition to his 
contribution to the general fund, given by Mr. Phillips. He was 
very hospitable, and loved, for his own enjoyment as well as for 
the honor of the town, to entertain at his residence distinguished 
guests during their stay in Da\^ton. His elegant, large ball-room 
was the scene of many a brilliant reception. 

Mrs. John G. Lowe has, through a long life, been noted for 
generosity and active interest in benevolent and religious work, 
following the example of her mother, who was a leader in everj' 
undertaking for the benefit of the community. During the War 
of 1812 Mrs. Phillips took sick and wounded soldiers, who were 
brought here from the battlefield, into her own home, and nursed 
them till they were well, and was one of the band of ladies who 
constantly forwarded provisions and clothes to soldiers at the 
front. Her daughter, Mrs. Lowe, was one of the founders and 
8 



114 EARLY DAYTON 

hardest workers in the Dayton Sanitary Association, which met 
daily to cut out and make garments and pack boxes of food and 
comforts for our men serving in the army during the Civil War. 
Mrs. Lowe has seven children living : General Gates P. Thruston, 
Mrs. G. W. Houk, Mrs. Charles Newbold, Henry C. Lowe, 
Houston Lowe, Mrs. Fowler Stoddard, Mrs. Thomas Gaddis. A 
son and davighter, Dickinson P. and Jeannette J. Thruston, died 
in early manhood and womanhood. 

J. D. Phillips had one son, Horace, — who married Mi.ss Nannie 
Pease, and lives in Seattle, — and four daughters, Mrs. A. McD. 
McCook, deceased, Mrs. J. P. Davies, Mrs. J. Harrison Hall, and 
iVIiss Sophia Phillips. 

In 1812 Obadiah B. Conover settled in Dayton. Mr. Conover, 
who came from New Jersey, was for some years engaged in 
blacksmithing and the manufacture of wagons, plows, and other 
farming implements. About 1820 he opened a store on the 
southeast corner of INIain and Third streets, the property still 
belonging to his descendants, though the pioneer building has 
given waj^ to a modern business house. He was much inter- 
ested and very useful in city and educational affairs, and in 
chiirch and in Sunday-school work. He married a daughter 
of John Miller, who came to Dayton in 1799. Some of the char- 
acteristics of the grandfather have been inherited b}- sons and 
grandsons, from whom schools, libraries, and other public 
matters have received intelligent and constant attention. Mr. 
and Mrs. Conover had five children, all, as well as their 
descendants, influential citizens. The sons, Harvey, Wilbur, 
and Obadiah, were men of superior talent and liberal education, 
who made themselves felt, the first two in Dayton, and the third 
in Madison, Wisconsin. The .sons, and one of the daughters, 
Martha, who married Collins Wight, a prominent business man, 
are deceased. The second daughter, Hannah, married Colonel 
Hiram Strong, who was a gallant ofiicer, and died in 1863 from 
wounds received in the battle of Chickamauga. Obadiah B. Con- 
over has many grandchildren : Charles, Harvey, Lawrence, and 
Wilbur Conover, ]\Irs. W. A. Phelps, and I\Irs. Emma Brown, 
children of Harvey Conover ; Frank Conover, Hugh D. Conover, 
deceased, and Mrs. Mar}- C. Grundy, deceased, children of 
Wilbur Conover ; Harry C. Wight, deceased, and Mrs. R. A. 
Rogers, children of INIrs. Wight ; Mrs. Hannah Frank and 
Mrs. W. B. Gebhart, daughters of Mrs. Strong. 



CHAPTER VII 

1812-1816 

Dr. John Steele — 1812 and 1813 Years of Excitement— Dread of Indians- 
Colonel Johnston's Control of the Indians— Madison Orders Out Ohio 
Militia— Battalion Muster at Dayton — Militia Bivouac Without Tents at 
Cooper Park — Governor Meigs Arrives— Issues a Call to Citizens for 
Blankets — General Gano and General Cass Arrive — Three Regiments of 
Infantry Formed — Captain William Van Cleve— General Hull Arrives — 
Governor Meigs Surrenders Command to General Hull — The Governor 
and General Review the Troops— The Three Regiments March Across 
Mad River to Camp Meigs — Leave Camp Meigs for Detroit — Munger's 
Brigade Ordered Here to Garrison the Town — Hull's Surrender — Conster- 
nation of the People — Handbills Issued at Dayton Calling for Volunteers 

— Captain Steele's Company — Kentucky Troops Arrive Here — Harrison 
Calls for Volunteers and Horses — Dayton Ladies Make One Thousand 
Eight Hundred Shirts for Soldiers — Expedition Against Indians Near 
Muncietown — Defeated Soldiers Bring Wounded to Dayton — Hospital on 
Court-House Corner — War — Jerome Holt — War Ended — Dayton Compa- 
nies Welcomed Home — First Dayton Bank — Ohio Centinel — Stone Jail 

— Mr. Forrer's Reminiscences of Dayton in 1814— First Methodist Church- 
William Hamer — Aaron Baker — Ohio Republican — Ohio Watchmaii — Medi- 
cal Societies — Dr. Job Haines — Female Charitable and Bible Society — First 
Market-House— Moral Society— Associated Bachelors — First Theater. 

In i8i2 Dr. John Steele settled in Dayton. He was born near 
Lexington, Kentucky, and was graduated from the famous Lex- 
ington college, Transylvania University, of which his father, 
Robert Steele, was one of the founders. From college he went 
to the University of Pennsylvania, at Philadelphia, in which 
the celebrated Dr. Benjamin Rusk was professor, to attend 
medical lectures. Having received his diploma as a physician, 
he decided to make his home at Dayton, where his brother James 
had lived for several years. Soon after his arrival a military 
hospital, a frame building, was erected on the northwest corner 
of Main and Third streets, — the Court-house lot,— for the use 
of sick and wounded soldiers of the War of 1812, Dayton, as 
already stated, being a depot of supplies and a rendezvous for 
troops. Dr. Steele was placed in charge as physician and sur- 
geon. During his residence in Dayton, while always ready to 

115 



Il6 EARLY DAYTON 

serve the public, he confined himself principally to the duties of 
his profession, in which he was very successful, and won a high 
reputation. Even to the present day many families remember 
his knowledge and skill as doctor and surgeon with gratitude, 
and speak of him with love and respect. He was remarkable for 
dry humor and wit, and his old patients recall and repeat his 
witty sayings with a relish heightened by the memory of the 
relief they brought amid the despondency and pain of the sick- 
room. Like his brother James, and like their grandfather and 
father before them, he was a very religious man, and long an 
elder in the Presbyterian Church. He was identified from its 
organization with the Third Street Presbyterian Church, and 
"only members of that church can know the respect and love in 
which he was held." He served as member and president of the 
City Council, was member and president of the Montgomery 
County Medical Society, a founder of and large contributor to 
the Librar}' Association, an original stockholder in Woodland 
Cemeter}^ Association, and prominently connected with all the 
benevolent and religious societies of his day. "With his name," 
writes a friend, ' ' is associated all that is honorable, noble, and 
elevated in human nature." He was married twice, his first 
wife dying young. In 1823 he married Miss Cornelia King, of 
Morristown, New Jersey, who survived him twenty-five years. 
They had ten children : Augusta ; Caroline, married W. F. 
Comly; Dr. Henry K., beloved in Dayton and Denver for the 
professional skill and delightful social qualities characteristic 
of his father, married Mary Frances Dunlevy ; Clara, married 
R. W. Steele ; James, married Sally Curd ; Charlotte, married 
W. H. Harrison ; Samuel, married Annie Mills ; Cornelia, John, 
and William. Mrs. R. W. Steele, Mrs. W. H. Harrison, and 
Miss Cornelia Steele alone survive. Grandchildren : R. W. 
Steele, Miss Harriet D. Steele, Mrs. William Spalding, children 
of Dr. Henry K. Steele ; Charlotte H. Steele, daughter of Mrs. 
R. W. Steele ; Cornelia H. Steele, daughter of James Steele. 
Dr. John Steele died in 1854, aged sixty-three. 

The years 1812 and 1813 were full of excitement and dread in 
Dayton. Fear of the Indians, large numbers of whom were 
friendly to Great Britain, rendered the war with that countr}^ 
especially menacing to the people of Ohio. There were two 
thousand Indians — Shawnees, Ottawas, Wyandots, Senecas, 
Delawares, and Muncies — in the State. Blockhouses were built 







M ^ 



^'^\ 




CENTRAL HIGH SCHOOL, 1S57-1893. 



i8i2-i8i6 117 

in Montgomery County as a refuge for settlers of Preble, Darke, 
and Miami counties, who were considered in great danger. A 
hundred of them fled from their homes, and their flight increased 
the alarm of people in less exposed regions. Scouting parties 
of Miami County militia were constantly on duty north and 
west of Piqua. These companies were usually ordered to kill 
every Indian, and squaws and children were made prisoners. 
News was continually coming during the spring that men had 
been killed and scalped and found murdered in the woods ; that 
white inhabitants were flying before the savages in every direc- 
tion. On the loth of May it was reported here that an Indian 
trader by the name of Conner, who resided at Fort Defiance, 
had been advised by friendly Indians to move in from the 
frontier, and also that the Prophet was rebuilding his town, and 
was as strong as ever ; that he was seventy miles from Greenville, 
and would reach that place in about six weeks. On the I4tli of 
May six Indians and a squaw were captured near Troy, and on 
the 15th five or six whites, while planting corn near Greenville, 
were attacked by Indians and one of them wounded. Our people 
knew that if the Prophet took any of the neighboring towns it 
would not be many hours before he arrived at Dayton. Colonel 
Johnston, by order of Governor Meigs, was holding a council 
of Shawnee chiefs from Wapakoneta at Piqua, and great anxiety 
as to the result of this conference was felt. The Indians decided 
for peace, but though Colonel Johnston, who, from long employ- 
ment among them as a Government agent, understood them as 
few white men did, and had wonderful influence over them, 
believed their professions of friendship, the citizens of Ohio 
generally had no faith in their promises. 

All through the war Colonel Johnston acted as mediator and 
peacemaker between the tribes and the whites, especially endeav- 
oring to keep faith with the friendly Shawnees, and at the same 
time to defend Indians and citizens from each other. He pursued 
this noble course successfully, in spite of much opposition from 
his own people, by means of appeals through the newspapers, and 
various proclamations and stringent regulations. Soon after one 
of Colonel Johnston's appeals for a just and humane treatment of 
the Indians was printed, an article filled with abuse of him and 
the Shawnees was published in the Ohio CeJitinel. It was claimed 
that while he was assuring the people that the Indians would not 
be troublesome in any way, he directed them to bring him the 



Il8 EARLY DAYTON 

ears of all the swine they had killed. The settlers insisted that 
the order would not have been issued if there had been no ground 
for complaints against the savages. Colonel Johnston's only 
object in publishing this order was to prove the innocence of his 
wards, if possible, or, if he failed in this, to provide some means 
of deciding what would be a full compensation for hogs that had 
been lost by their owners. The frontiersman could not, as a rule, 
believe an Indian less cruel and treacherous or more worthy of 
consideration than the wild beasts which he shot whenever he 
had an opportunity. Even the more intelligent and humane 
inhabitants of Ohio largely shared this distrust and contempt of 
Indians ; and Indians professedly friendly did many things which 
confirmed the evil opinion the whites had of them. 

President Madison ordered out one thousand two hundred Ohio 
militia in April, 1812, for one year's service, and Governor Meigs 
directed the major-generals of the Western and Middle divisions 
to report with their commands at Dayton on the 29th of the month. 
Major David Reid ordered the ofiicers of the First Battalion, of 
which he was in command, to assemble for a battalion muster 
on the second Tuesday in April, at the usual parade-ground in 
Dayton, armed and equipped as the law required. At this muster 
orders were read, and also the bill for enrolling volunteers, passed 
by Congress on the 20th of February. On such occasions crowds 
of people gathered to enjoy the parade, and it was supposed that 
the patriotism and enthusiasm of spectators would be roused on 
the 14th of April, and that man}^ recruits would be obtained. " It 
was expected," the editor of the OJiio Centinel writes, "that a 
sufficient number would volunteer to obviate the necessity of a 
draft, but only twenty stepped forward at the call of their coun- 
try." The editor expresses his disappointment at this result in 
strong terms. Citizens had hardl}^ had time as 3'et to realize that 
hostilities had really begun. The war excitement soon rose to 
fever-heat, and the Centinel never again reproved Daytonians for 
lack of patriotism. A company of Rangers was raised by Gen- 
eral Munger at this date in this neighborhood, to be marched to 
Detroit. Governor Meigs came to Dayton on the 20th of April 
to inspect them. The company was partly composed of drafted 
men. 

The uniform of the soldiers of 1812 was a blue coat, with 
scarlet collar and cuffs, and a cocked hat, with a cockade and 
white feather. The Governor appointed the 30th of April as a 



i8i2-i8i6 



119 



day of fasting and prayer, and appropriate religious services 
were held at the Dayton Court-house. 

When, on May i, the first companies of militia reached Day- 
ton, though the Governor's order making this the rendezvous of 
troops had been published a month before, no arrangements had 
been made for their comfort. Till the middle of May they had 
neither tents nor camp equipage, and verj' few blankets. A 
number bivouacked without shelter on the commons now Cooper 
Park. Twelve companies, containing eight hundred men, were 
here by May 7, and eight or ten more arrived in a few days. As 
the town could not afford room for all these men, some camped a 
little south of Dayton. 

Governor Meigs arrived on the 6th of Ma}- to give orders and 
inspect troops. The event was announced b}- the citizens by a 
salute of eighteen guns. He reviewed the militia in the after- 
noon, and the next day sent out an appeal from headquarters, 
McCuUum's Tavern, southwest corner of Main and Second streets, 
to the citizens of Ohio, to men, mothers, sisters, and wives, for 
blankets for the soldiers. Each family w^as requested to "furnish 
one or more blankets," the appeal read, "and the requisite num- 
ber will be completed. It is not requested as a boon ; the moment 
your blankets are delivered, you shall receive their full value in 
money ; they are not to be had at the stores. The season of the 
year is approaching when each famil}^ t^s-Y, without inconveni- 
ence, part with one." 

Soon after the Governor's arrival, he ordered General Munger 
and a small number of Dayton troops to make "a tour to Green- 
ville, to inquire into the situation of the frontier settlements." 
On May 14. there were about one thousand four hundred troops 
here, the majority of whom were volunteers. Six or seven 
hundred of them were under the command of General Gano and 
General Cass. Six other companies arrived in a few days. Three 
regiments of infantry, — the First, Second, and Third, — num- 
bering one thousand five hundred men, were formed on the 
2ist. These were the first regiments organized by the State of 
Ohio. After the companies were assigned to these regiments, and 
oSicers were elected, better military discipline was maintained 
than had been hitherto possible. The First Regiment encamped 
south of town, and the other two at Cooper Park. 

Ohio's quota of troops having now been raised. Captain Wil- 
liam Van Cleve's newly formed company of riflemen of this 



120 EARLY DAYTON 

county was employed in guarding supply-trains on the road to 
St. Mary's. Captain William Van Cleve, brother of Benjamin, 
was born near Monmouth, New Jersey, in 1777. He was one of 
the original settlers of Dayton. Instead of coming on the keel- 
boat or pirogue with his family, he accompanied the Newcom 
party through the woods for the purpose of driving the cow of 
his stepfather, Mr. Thompson. He was married twice, and by 
his first wife, Ef&e Westfall, had several children. From the 
close of the war till his death in 1828, he kept a tavern at the 
junction of Warren and Jefferson streets. 

In the latter part of Ma}^ General Hull arrived at jMcCullum's 
Tavern, which he made his headquarters. The usually quiet 
village of Da^-ton was now all animation and noise, as ofiicers, 
quartermasters, and commissaries were preparing for the depart- 
ure of the regiments for Detroit. The broad and generally 
deserted streets, ungraveled, often knee-deep in mud, were alive 
with bustling citizens and country people, gazing with curiosity 
at the brilliant uniforms and equipments of the passing sol- 
diers, and the stores were full of customers ; companies were 
drilling ; mounted ofiicers and couriers galloping in different 
directions ; lines of wagons and packhorses, laden with provi- 
sions and ammunition and camp equipage, coming in from 
Cincinnati or the neighboring places, and Montgomery County 
farmers and business men, even when they were enrolled among 
the volunteers, were many of them reaping a golden harvest. 
On the morning of the 25th General Meigs and General Hull, to 
whom the Governor had surrendered the command, reviewed 
and made addresses to the soldiers camped south of town. After 
dinner at noon at McCullum's, they reviewed and addressed the 
regiments at Cooper Park. Early the next morning the three 
regiments, with Hull and his staff at their head, crossing Mad 
River at a ford opposite the head of Webster Street, marched to 
a new camp, — which they called for Governor Meigs, — situated 
on a prairie three miles from town, on the west bank of Mad 
River. They raised the American fiag, and, forming a hollow 
square around it, greeted it with cheers, and expressed their 
determination not to surrender it except with their lives. 

On the 1st of June the First, Second, and Third regiments of 
Ohio militia and a body of cavalry, followed by a wagon-train 
and a brigade of pack-mules, left Dayton for Detroit. The 
Governor and his staff and strangers from Cincinnati and Ken- 



i8i2-i8i6 121 

tucky, besides a crowd of people from the town and neighboring 
country, were collected to see the troops begin their march. 
They marched out the old Troy pike. A large number of men 
followed them for a day or two, some of them sleeping in camp 
one night. General Hunger's command of militia was ordered 
here to garrison the town, protect stores and public property, 
and keep open a line of comiuunication with the army at the 
front. This was service of importance, as quartermaster's ord- 
nance and commissary's supplies were forwarded by way of 
Dayton. 

The news of the surrender of Hull's army reached Dayton at 
noon on Saturday, August 22, and this terrible disaster occa- 
sioned much alarm. A handbill was at once sent out into the 
country from the Centinel office, containing the startling infor- 
mation just received, and urging every able-bodied man who 
could furnish a firelock to come to Dayton Sunday prepared to 
march immediately for the defense of the frontier, guard the 
public stores at Piqua, and watch the Indians in that region. So 
many poured into town, and so immediate was the response to 
the appeal, that the Centinel headed an editorial relating the 
occurrences of the next day or two, "Prompt Patriotism," and 
challenged "the annals of our country to produce an example 
of greater promptitude or patriotism." Though the news came 
Saturday noon, a company of seventy men, commanded by 
Captain James Steele, was by seven o'clock Sunday morning 
raised, organized, and completely equipped, and marched a little 
later in the morning to Piqua. All the men and women in 
town devoted themselves to the work of getting the soldiers 
ready, and few went to bed vSaturday night. Five companies of 
drafted men from Montgomery and Warren counties arrived on 
Sunday. Monday and Tuesday troops were constantly departing 
and arriving. Two companies were left here at Camp Meigs. 
The Governor of Ohio, as soon as the bad news came, ordered 
fortj' thousand dollars' worth of public stores to be removed 
from Piqua to Dayton, and General Munger and his brigade soon 
accomplished this work. Captain Steele's company, no longer 
needed at Piqua, was ordered to St. Mary's, — the most advanced 
frontier post, — and the Captain was placed in command of the 
post. Joseph H. Crane was made sergeant-major. The Dayton 
company built blockhouses for the defense of St. Mary's. The 
pay-roll of Captain Steele's company was preserved, and its 



122 EARLY DAYTON 

publication in a Dayton paper many years later enabled widows 
and children of the men whose names appear on it to obtain land- 
warrants from the Government. This pay-roll contained but 
fifty-two names, though seventy were enrolled on August 2^, so 
that part of the men were probably engaged at this time in 
scouting or other duty. Perhaps some did not go farther than 
Piqua. 

General Harrison spent the ist of September, 1812, in Dayton, 
and a salute of eighteen guns was fired in his honor. While the 
citizens were receiving General Harrison in front of the Court- 
house, Brigadier-General Payne arrived with three Kentucky 
regiments, comprising one thousand eight hundred men, and, 
marching past the Court-house, halted at Second Street. The 
soldiers were also honored with a salute. Early in September 
General Harrison sent out a cill for volunteers, to be com- 
manded by himself, ordering them to "rendezvous at the town 
of Da^-ton on the Big Miami." He also issued a call for eight 
hvmdred horses provided with saddles and bridles, agreeing to 
pay fifty cents a day for them. The horses were to be received 
at Reid's Inn in Dayton. It is easy to imagine what a stirring 
place Daj'ton had now become. Some of the regiments which 
stopped overnight camped, we are told, "in the mud on Main 
Street." 

The troops at the front were in great need of blankets and 
warm clothes. The following appeal was sent to the ladies of 
Dayton from headquarters, St. Mary's, September 20, 181 2: 

"General Harrison presents his compliments to the ladies of 
Dayton and its vicinitj^ and solicits their assistance in making 
shirts for their brave defenders who compose his army, many 
of whom are almost destitute of that article — so necessary to 
their health and comfort. The material will be furnished by the 
quartermaster, and the General confidently expects that this 
opportunity for the display of female patriotism and industry 
will be largely embraced b}^ his fair country-women. 

"P. S. — Captain James Steele will deliver the articles for mak- 
ing the shirts on application." 

Captain Steele's company, which had volunteered for short 
service, was returning home when this letter was written. The 
material for the shirts was obtained from the Indian Department, 
and had been prepared for annuities to tribes supposed to be 
friendly, but now in arms against the Government, and with- 
held in consequence of their present hostile attitude. "With 



i8i2-i8i6 



123 



a zeal and promptitude honorable to them and the State," 
and, of course, without compensation, the ladies of Dayton 
immediatelj^ went to work, and by October 14 one thousand 
eight hundred shirts were ready to send to the army — a good 
deal of sewing to accomplish without the aid of a machine in 
less than four weeks by the women of a village of less than one 
hundred houses. 

On the nth of December seven hundred men of the Nineteenth 
United States Infantry, who had remained in Dayton for ten 
days to procure horses, left under command of Lieutenant- 
Colonel John B. Campbell on an expedition against the Miami 
villages near Muncietown. The Indians were routed, but eight 
of our men were killed and forty-eight wounded, and nearly 
half the horses were killed or lost. Late in the afternoon of the 
day of the battle the army began its return march, carrying forty 
of the wounded, who were unable to ride, on stretchers. The 
men suffered all sorts of hardships, and nearly perished from 
cold, fatigue, and lack of food. On the 22d and 24th of Decem- 
ber Major Adams, stationed at Greenville, and Colonel Jerome 
Holt, engaged in building blockhouses and protecting the 
frontier, came to their assistance and enabled them to continue 
their march. They reached Dayton on Sunday, the 27th, after 
traveling ten days. The Centinel says that "their solemn pro- 
cession into town, with the wounded extended on litters, excited 
emotions which the philanthropic bosom may easily conceive, 
but it is not in oi;r power to describe them." 

The small military hospital on the Court-house corner, in 
charge of Dr. John Steele and assistant physicians, has already 
been mentioned. Some of Colonel Campbell's men were no 
doubt received at the hospital, but the soldiers were also taken 
into private houses, scarcelj' a family receiving less than four 
or five. The usual Sunday services were omitted, and the ladies 
of Dayton spent the day nursing the wounded and ministering 
to the needs of their worn-out comrades. Colonel Campbell's 
force marched to Franklinton in a few days, but those unable to 
accompany them were left here, and tenderly cared for b}' citi- 
zens. The ladies of Dayton, though not formally organized into 
a soldiers' relief society, were continually engaged in making or 
collecting clothes and supplies for Montgomery County volun- 
teers in the field or in the hospitals. Both private and public 
supplies, though mud rendered the roads almost impassable, were 



124 EARLY DAYTON 

constantly forwarded by army agents from Dayton. Supplies 
purchased here were delivered to Colonel Robert Patterson, for- 
age-master at the Government storehouse, on the west side of 
Main Street, between INIonument Avenue and First Street. 

Jerome Holt, mentioned above, was a brother-in-law of Benja- 
min Van Cleve, and came to Dayton in the summer of 1796. They 
had been partners in Cincinnati. After John Van Cleve had been 
killed by the Indians, he assisted Benjamin in his first efforts to 
provide for the family. His wife, Anne Van Cleve, was born 
in Monmouth County, New Jersey, in 1775, and died in 1858 in 
Van Buren Township, where the Holts settled in 1797. He 
was appointed constable of Dayton Township in 1800, and 
elected sheriff of Montgomery County in 1809. From 1810 to 
181 2 he was colonel of the Fifth Regiment of militia. Three 
great-granddaughters, named Gusten, live in Dayton, and a 
descendant — Mrs. Lindsay — lives on the old Holt farm four 
miles north of Dayton. Jerome Holt died in Wayne Township 
in 1841, and was buried in Dayton with military and Masonic 
honors. 

A new company was formed here in January, 1813, by Captain 
A. Edwards, and marched immediatelj'. Captain Edwards, who 
was a Dayton physician, had served as a surgeon in the army 
in 1812. 

In the fall of 1813 Perry's victory on Lake Erie, Harrison's 
defeat of Proctor, and the repulse of the British at the battle of 
the Thames, brought the war in the West to a close. Returning 
Ohio and Kentucky soldiers were now constantly on the march 
from the north through Daj^ton, and the town was full of people 
from different parts of the country, who had come to meet 
relatives serving in the various companies. Sometimes the 
volunteers, camped in the mire on Main Street, became a little 
noisy and troublesome. The Dayton companies received an 
enthusiastic welcome home. Streets and houses were decorated, 
and a flag was kept flying from the pole erected on ]\Iain Street. 
A cannon was also placed there, which was fired whenever a 
company or regiment arrived. The people, at the signal, gath- 
ered to welcome the soldiers, whom they were expecting, and 
for whom a dinner, on tables set out-of-doors, was prepared, and 
the rest of the day was given up to feasting, speech-making, 
and general rejoicing. Our Montgomery County companies had 
all returned by the ist of December ; but as they had been in 



i8i2-i8i6 



125 



constant and active duty since their departure for the front, a 
number of brave men had fallen on the battlefield, and others 
came home in enfeebled health, or suffering from wounds which 
shortened their lives, so that many in this neighborhood had as 
much cause for sorrow as for joy when the troops gaily marched 
into town. 

It is impossible for the present generation to realize the horrors 
and sufferings occasioned by the War of 18 12. King says, in his 
histor}' of Ohio, that an eye-witness described the country as 
"depopulated of men, and the farmer women, weak and sickly 
as they often were, and surrounded by their helpless little chil- 
dren, were obliged, for want of bread, to till their fields, until 
frequently they fell exhausted and dying under the toil to which 
they were unequal." There is slight record of the trials and 
labors of the people of Da3'ton during this period, but they no 
doubt had their full share. 

The treaty of peace was not signed till 1815. When the news 
reached Dayton in Februarj-, the following article, headed 
"Peace," appeared in the Republican: "WMth hearts full of 
gratitude to the great Arbiter of nations, we announce this joy- 
ous intelligence to our readers. Every heart that feels but a 
single patriotic emotion will hail the return of peace, on terms 
which are certainly not dishonorable, as one of the most auspi- 
cious events we were ever called upon to celebrate. The citizens 
of Daj'ton have agreed to illuminate this evening. The people 
from the country are invited to come in and partake of the gen- 
eral joy." March 31 was appointed by the Governor of Ohio as 
a day of thanksgiving for the declaration of peace. 

The mechanics of Dayton met at four o'clock in the afternoon 
of Saturday, March 15, 1813, at McCullum's Tavern, to form a 
mechanics' society. This was the first workingmen's association 
organized in Dayton. Workingmen and mechanics, as well as 
merchants and manufacturers, were prospering at the close of the 
war, and able to buy themselves homes. There was much suc- 
cessful speculating in real estate, and business was on the top 
wave for the next six or seven years. 

The 5th of ]May of this year was set apart by the Governor of 
Ohio for a day of thanksgiving. In Ohio in early times thanks- 
giving was not always observed, and when the Governor issued 
a proclamation for the festival he was as likely to select Christ- 
mas or ]Ma3'-day as the last Thursday in November. The first 



126 EARLY DAYTON 

proclamation of this kind in Ohio was issued by Governor St. 
Clair, December 25, 1788. 

The first Dayton bank, called the "Dayton Manufacturing 
Company," was chartered in 1813. The following gentlemen 
constituted the first board of directors : H. G. Phillips, Joseph 
Peirce, John Compton, David Reid, William Eakerj Charles R, 
Greene, Isaac G. Burnet, Joseph H. Crane, D. C. Lindsay, John 
Ewing, Maddox Fisher, David Grifiin, John H. Williams, Benja- 
min Van Cleve, George Grove, Fielding Gosney, and J. N. C. 
Schenck. The amount of stock issued was $61 ,055. The first loan 
was one of |i 1,120 to the United States Government to assist in 
carrying on the war. Banking hours were from 10 a.m. to i p.m. 
The president received a salar}- of one hundred and fifty dollars 
per annum, and the cashier four hundred dollars. H. G. Phillips 
was elected president in 1814, but resigned in a few weeks, and 
was succeeded by Joseph Peirce. On the latter's death, in 1821, 
Benjamin Van Cleve was elected ; but he died in two months, and 
was succeeded by George Newconi. In the following j-ear James 
Steele, who served till his death in 1S41, became president, and 
George S. Houston cashier. After 183 1 the bank was known as 
the "Dayton Bank." The bank closed up its affairs in 1843. 

On the 19th of May, 1813, the last number of the Ohio Ccntinel 
appeared, and for a j^ear and five months no newspaper was pub- 
lished in Dayton. As a consequence there is little material 
during this period for the history of the town. 

The contract for building a new jail was sold to James 
Thompson, July 27, 181 1, at public auction at the Court- 
house, for 12,147.91. The jail was eighteen by thirty-two 
feet, and built of rubble-stone. A rented house was used for 
a jail till the new building was finished. It was not com- 
pleted till December, 1813. The jail stood on Third Street 
in the rear of the Court-house, close to the pavement. It was 
two stories high, with gable shingle roof, running parallel with 
the street ; a hall ran through the center of the house from 
the Third Street entrance. The prison occupied the east half 
of the building and the sheriff's residence the west half. There 
were three cells in each story. Those in the second story were 
more comfortable than the others, and were used for women and 
for persons imprisoned for minor offenses. One of the cells was 
for debtors, imprisonment for debt being still legal at that period. 
Often men imprisoned for debt were released by the court on 



i8i2-i8i6 



127 



"prison bounds " or "limits," upon their giving- bond for double 
the amount of the debt. They were then permitted to live at 
home, support their families, and endeavor to pay their indebted- 
ness, but were not allowed to go beyond the corporation limits. 
This jail was not considered a safe place of confinement for 
criminals, as persons on the sidewalk could look through the 
barred windows, which were about two feet square, into the lower 
front cell, and pass small articles between the bars. Though the 
cells were double-lined with heavy oak plank, driven full of 
nails, one night four prisoners escaped by cutting a hole in the 
floor, and tunneling under the wall and up through the sidewalk. 
About 1834 or 1835 a one-stoiy building of heav}" cut stone was 
erected in the rear of the jail. It contained four cells with stone 
floors and arched brick ceilings. This was the county jail until 
the fall of 1845, when a stone jail was built at the corner of Main 
and Sixth streets, the present workhouse. 

Mr. Samuel Forrer, who visited Dayton in the fall of 1814, 
gives us, in his reminiscences, a glimpse of the town at that 
date • "At that early day there was a house and a well in an oak 
clearing on Main Street, near Fifth, surrounded by a hazel 
thicket. It was a noted halting-place for strangers traveling 
northward and eastward, in order to procure a drink of water and 
inquire the distance to Dayton." He describes the embryo city 
as still confined principally "to the bank of the Miami River 
between Ludlow and Mill streets, and the business — store-keep- 
ing, blacksmithing, milling, distilling, etc. — was concentrated 
about the head of Main Street." 

In 1814 the first Methodist church was completed and occupied. 
It was a one-story frame building thirty by forty feet in size, and 
stood on a lot contributed by D. C. Cooper, on the south side of 
Third Street and a little east of Main Street. Previous to the 
building of this "meeting-house" Methodist serviceshadbeenheld 
in the open air, the Presbyterian log cabin, or the Court-house. 
As early as 1797 a Methodist class had been formed by William 
Hamer, a local preacher, which met in his house three miles up 
Mad River. Rev. John Kobler, sent out by Bishop Asburj^ to 
organize the Miami Circuit, preached in Dayton, as already 
mentioned, in August, 1798, and January, 1799. In April of the 
latter year class-meetings began to be held in the village at 
the house of Aaron Baker. Bishop Asbury preached here on 
the 22d of September, 181 1, in the Court-house, to a thousand 



128 EARLY DAYTON 

persons. Soon after, Rev. John Collins, who had preached here 
a few Sundays, persuaded the people to erect a church, and in a 
short time I457.55 had been subscribed for a building fund. The 
frame church was succeeded by two brick buildings on its site 
— the first, built in 1828, forty by fifty feet in size and twent}^- 
four feet in height, and the second, built in 1849, fifty-five by 
eighty-two feet in size, and with a tower in front. In 1870 the 
congregation removed to the stone structure — Grace Methodist 
Episcopal Church^ on the southeast corner of Fourth and 
Ludlow streets. 

William Hamer, the first Methodist local preacher to hold serv- 
ices in this neighborhood, was one of the pioneers of 1796. He 
settled on a farm three miles up Mad River, and his place was 
known as " Hamer's Hill." His wife died in 1825. He died in 
1827, aged seventy-five. Their son Dayton, born at Hamer's 
Hill in 1796, was the first child born after the original settlers 
arrived at the mouth of Mad River. 

The name of Aaron Baker, the first Methodist class-leader in 
Dayton, often occurs in the early history of the town. He was 
born in Essex County, New Jersey, in 1773, visited Dayton in 
1804, 1805, and 1806, and settled here with his family in 1807. 
He built McCullum's Tavern and the old brick Court-house. 

In December, 1814, Charles Zull began to work a ferry across 
the Miami at the head of Ludlow Street. Farmers, leaving their 
horses and wagons hitched on the north side of the river, 
brought their produce over in the boat to trade at the stores. 

The Ohio Reptiblican appeared October 3, 1814, published by 
Isaac G. Burnet — who had published the Centinel, which it suc- 
ceeded — and James Lodge. It was similar in appearance to the 
Ce7itinel, and printed from the type used for that paper ; price,, 
two dollars per annum if paid in advance, two dollars and fifty 
cents if paid within the year, and three dollars if paid at the end 
of the year. Under the title was printed the motto : " Willing to 
praise, but not afraid to blame." It was devoted principally to 
literature and foreign events, little attention being given in news- 
papers of that era to home news. Mr. Burnet, who was elected 
to the Legislature a month after the paper first appeared, sold his 
interest to Mr. Lodge, who, as two-thirds of his subscribers did 
not pay for their paper, was obliged to cease publishing it Octo- 
ber 9, 1816. In November of the same year Robert J. Skinner 
began to issue the Ohio Watchman at the former ofl&ce of the Ohio 



i8i2-i8i6 129 

Republican, having purchased the material and good-will of the 
latter paper. Its first motto was, "Truth, equality, and literary 
knowledge are the grand pillars of republican libert}-." For 
this was substituted in 1819, "A free press is the palladium of 
liberty." It was originally a four-column folio paper, enlarged 
in 1818 to five columns, pages twelve by twent}^ inches in size. 
The editor announced in 1816 that the paper should be genuinely 
Republican in principles, "that he was partial to the administra- 
tion then in power [James Madison was President], but that he 
did not intend to permit partj^ prejudice to blind his eyes or to 
make his ears deaf to the principles of truth. The price was the 
same as that charged for the Republican. In 1820 the name of 
the paper was changed, and it was henceforth known as the Daj-- 
ton Watchman and Farmer's'' arid Mechanics'' Journal. It was 
now published b}^ George S. Houston and R. J. Skinner, the lat- 
ter retiring in 1822. The office was on the west side of Main 
Street, between First and Second, a few doors south of David 
Reid's inn. The publishers offered to receive in payment for 
their paper flour, whisky, good hay, wood, wheat, rye, corn, oats, 
sugar, tallow, beeswax, honey, butter, chickens, eggs, wool, flax, 
feathers, country linen, and cotton rags. In January, 1826, A. T. 
Hays and E. Lindsley purchased the paper, but it c'eased to 
appear in November, 1826. From 1824 it bore the motto, "De- 
mocracy, literature, agriculture, manufactories, and internal im- 
provements, the pillars of our independence." It was opposed 
to "mending" the Constitution, and in favorof the tariff" of 1824. 
The three journals whose histories have just been given — really 
one paper under different names — were published once a week. 

At an early date several medical societies were formed and met 
in Dayton, but in vain has an effort been made to trace their 
history. A call appeared in the Ohio Centinel for July 24, 1814, 
over the signature of A. Coleman, of Troy, for a meeting of the 
Seventh District Medical Society, to be held in Dayton at Major 
Reid's tavern, on the first Monday in September. On the i6th 
of October, 1815, Dr. John Steele, secretary of the Board of 
Censors of the Seventh Medical District of Ohio, announced in 
the Republican a meeting of the board at Dayton on the first 
Monday in November. All the physicians who had begun prac- 
tice within the Seventh District since 181 2, were requested to 
appear before the censors for examination. The penalty for 
neglect on the part of censors to attend this meeting was removal 



130 EARLY DAYTON 

from office and election of others to fill their places. A number 
of physicians in the Seventh Medical District met at Dayton 
July 3, 1816, and formed the Dayton Medical Society, which was 
to meet here on the first Mondays of April, July, and November. 
Dr. John Steele was elected secretary. The Montgomery and 
Clark Count}^ Medical Society was organized May 25, 1824, at 
Reid's Inn. Dr. John Steele was president ; Dr. Job Haines, 
secretary. Dr. William Blodgett is the only familiar Dayton 
name among the cen.sors. At the annual meeting at Reid's Inn 
in 1828, Dr. William Blodgett was elected president, and Dr. 
Edwin Smith delegate to the medical convention. Among the 
members of the society were Doctors Job Haines, John Steele, and 
Hibberd Jewett. 

Dr. Job Haines, mentioned above, was born and educated in 
New Jersey. Immediately after receiving his diploma as a 
physician, he came to Ohio, settling in Dayton in 181 7. He was 
"remarkable for sound judgment and practical wisdom, as well 
as for modesty and humility." He stood high in his profession 
and in the estimation of the community in general ; was Mayor 
of the city in 1833, and held other municipal offices. He was for 
forty 3'ears a member or elder in the First Presbyterian Church. 
The unobtrusive goodness, the quiet activity in benevolent 
work, of his daily life, — the fact that he was equally "a lover 
of truth, and a lover of peace, and a peacemaker," endeared 
him to all who knew him even- slightly. Constant, year in 
and year out, were his gratuitous professional calls on the sick, 
poor, and afflicted. Never a day, probably, passed that he was 
not seen with a basket of nourishing food or dainties, wending 
his way to the bedside of one of these patients; and having 
made them comfortable physically, the visit closed, if the patient 
desired it, with a few words of prayer and a brief reading of the 
Bible. But he did not obtrude his religious views on others. 
He died July 23, i860, aged sixty-nine. 

The ladies of Dayton and the vicinity met at the house of 
Mrs. Henry Brown, on Main vStreet, next to the Court-house, at 
three o'clock on the afternoon of Wednesday, April 12, 1815, to 
organize the Dayton Female Charitable and Bible Society. Mem- 
bers were each required to contribute one dollar per annum for 
the purpose of purchasing Bibles, and to make a contribution of 
twenty-five cents every three months to the charitable fund. . 
The society was organized for the purpose of gratuitously 



i8i2-i8i6 131 

distributing the Bible and seeking the sick, the afflicted, and 
needy, particularly of their own sex, relieving their wants and 
administering to their comfort and giving consolation to them 
in their distress, as far as was in their power. The following 
ladies were elected officers of the society : President, Mrs. Robert 
Patterson ; vice-president, Mrs. Thomas Cottom ; corresponding 
secretar}', Mrs. Dr. James Welsh ; recording secretary, Mrs. Joseph 
H. Crane ; treasurer, Mrs. Joseph Peirce ; managers, Mrs. William 
King, Mrs. David Reid, Mrs. James Hanna, Mrs. James Steele, 
and Mrs. Isaac Spining. This was the first society of this kind 
organized in Dayton, though the ladies who formed it were 
previously and during the remainder of their lives noted for their 
benevolence and good works. A charity sermon for the benefit 
of the societ}' was preached by Rev. Joshua L. Wilson, of Cin- 
cinnati, in the Methodist meeting-house on Sunday, June 25. A 
charit}' sermon was henceforth, as long as the Charitable Society 
existed, annually preached by Dayton ministers in turn. 

Robert Strain opened in May, 1815, in his large brick building 
on the corner of Main and Fourth streets, the site of the United 
Brethren Publishing House, a travelers' inn, which was long 
a favorite tavern. A millinery shop was opened on June 26 
by Ann Yamer on Main Street, sovith of Second. Besides 
attractive goods for ladies, she announced in the Republican a 
full stock of plumes and other decorations for military gentle- 
men, and that she was in need of a supply of goose- feathers. It 
will be seen that business was now advancing southward on 
Main Street. 

The first market-house was opened July 4, 1815. The markets 
were held from four to ten o'clock in the morning on Wednesdays 
and Saturdays. The house was a frame building, and stood on 
Second Street, between Main and Jefferson. On either side of 
the interior were butchers' stalls, and there were stands for 
farmers and gardeners on the outside, under the wide-extending 
eaves. Two long horse-racks, or rails, extended from the build- 
ing along Second or Market Street — as the part of Second Street 
on w-hich it stood was then called — nearly to Main Street. On 
April I, 1816, an ordinance took effect which forbade the sale, 
within the corporation, on any other than market day, of butter, 
eggs, cheese, poultry, vegetables, fresh fish, or meat, with some 
exceptions as to meat and fish, which could be purchased every 
day before eight o'clock in the morning. Prices were low in 



132 EARLY DAYTON 

1816 ; butter twelve and a half cents per pound ; eggs eight cents 
a dozen. Flour, however, was five dollars per barrel, and the 
next year six dollars. 

The Watchman says in July, 1822, when flour was two dollars 
and a half a barrel, butter five cents a pound, chickens fifty cents 
a dozen, beef one to three cents per pound, and ham two to three 
cents per pound, that the Dayton price-list, published weekly in 
the newspaper, had been noticed in the Eastern papers under the 
head of "Cheap Living," and the low prices of marketing here 
attributed to the scarcity of money in the West, The Watchman 
assured the people on the Atlantic Coast that the great abundance 
of countr}' produce of all kinds was the true reason that living was 
cheap in Ohio, and that money ' ' is quite as plentj^ with us as 
notions in the Eastern States!" 

In spite of wretched roads and lack of forage, large numbers 
of cattle, horses, and hogs were driven, after the War of 1812, 
from this neighborhood to the Eastern market. The Rev. Timothj^ 
Flint says, in his " Letters on Recollections of the Last Ten Years 
in the INIississippi Valle}'," that on his journey west in Novem- 
ber, 1815, he met a drove of one thousand cattle and hogs on the 
Alleghany Mountains, which were "of an unnatural shagginess 
and roughness, like wolves, and the drovers from Mad River were 
as untamed and wild in their looks as Crusoe's man Friday." 
These swine lived in the Mad River and Miami woods on beach- 
nuts and acorns, could successfullj- defend themselves and their 
young against wolves, and when desired for food were shot like 
other wild animals. 

In 1815 there were about one hundred dwellings in Dayton, the 
majority of them log cabins. From 1814 to 1815 the revenue of 
the county was $3,280.51, an increase in one year of $1,431.64. 
The license for a store was fifteen dollars and the clerk's fee fifty 
cents in 1815. 

Two clubs or societies of men were formed in July of this 
year — the Moral Society and the Society of Associated Bach- 
elors. The object of the first organization, as its name would 
indicate, was to suppress vice and to promote order, morality, and 
religion, and more particularlj^ to countenance, support, and assist 
magistrates in the faithful discharge of their important duties, and 
in enforcing the laws against Sabbath-breaking, profane swearing, 
and other unlawful practices. The society is careful to state in 
its constitution that it is not its intention to exercise a censorious 



i8i2-i8i6 133 

or inquisitorial authority over the private transactions or con- 
cerns of individuals. John Hanna was elected chairman ; George 
S. Houston, secretary ; managers, William King, Henry Robert- 
son, Matthew Patton, John Patterson, and Aaron Baker. The 
meetings of the Moral Society were held on the first Saturday in 
October, January, April, and July. On the 12th of August, at 
two o'clock in the afternoon, the society assembled in the Meth- 
odist meeting-house to listen to a sermon from the Rev. Mr. 
Findlay. The Society of Associated Bachelors was intended for 
recreation, and usually met in Strain's bar-room. George S. 
Houston, secretar}^ of the Moral Society, was at the same time 
president of the Associated Bachelors, so that the character 
of the two organizations could not have been as antagonistic as 
one might suppose. On the 24th of September, to the great 
satisfaction of the Moral Society, Mr. Houston was married to 
"the amiable Miss Mary Forman." Joseph John, secretary of 
the Associated Bachelors, was soon after married to Miss Jane 
Waugh, of Washington Township. The Republican made merry 
over the fact that both the president and secretary of the Society 
of the Associated Bachelors were married. Their successors 
were immediately elected — Dr. John Steele president, and Alex- 
ander Grimes secretary. 

The grist-mill, and fulling-mill, and two carding-machines be- 
longing to Colonel Robert Patterson, two miles from town, were 
destroyed by fire on the jtli of October. This was a calamity to 
many poor families, as well as to the proprietor, as there was a 
quantity of cloth and wool belonging to customers in the mills. 
They were soon rebuilt. 

This year D. C. Cooper was president and J. H. Crane recorder 
of the Select Council of Dayton. D. C. Cooper was elected State 
Senator, and George Grove and George Newcom Representatives 
in the Legislature. Aaron Baker, who had no opponent, was 
elected coroner. In 1815 Mrs. Dionicile Sullivan opened a school 
for girls, in which were taught reading, writing, sewing, letter- 
ing with the needle, and painting, — the first school of the kind 
in Dayton. 

Daniel C. Cooper was a member of the Legislature in 1816, and 
also president of the Town Council. Joseph Peirce was recorder ; 
trustees, Aaron Baker, H. G. Phillips, Ralph Wilson, O. B. Con- 
over, and George Grove. On the evening of April 22, 1816, the 
first theater was held in Dayton at the dwelling of William Huff"- 



134 EARLY DAYTON 

man, on St. Clair Street. The much-admired, elegant comedy 
called "Matrimony, or The Prisoners," and the celebrated comic 
farce called "The Village Lawyer," were, the advertisement 
states, to be given, and between the play and the farce were to be 
presented two recitations, "Scolding Life Reclaimed" and 
" Monsieur Tonson," a fancy dance, and a comic song, " Bag of 
Nails." Tickets, fifty cents. Curtain to rise at half past seven 
precisely. Gentlemen were requested not to smoke cigars in the 
theater. 



CHAPTER VIII 
1816-1835 

New Brick Court-House of 1817 — Ferries— First Bridges— Sabbath-School 
Association— Sunday -School Society — Game Abundant — Flights of Wild 
Pigeons — Migrations of Squirrels — Fish — Stage-Coaches — St. Thomas 
Episcopal Church — Christ Episcopal Church — Shows — Volunteer Fire De- 
partment, 1820 to 1863 — Leading Citizens Active Members — Feuds Between 
Rival Engine Companies — Financial Depression, 1820 to 1822 — Fever — 

— Lancasterian School — Francis Glass — Gridiron Newspaper — il/m^nj Re- 
publican a7id Dayton Advertiser — George B. Holt— Consolidation of Watch- 
man and Republican — Dayton Journal — Contribution to the Greek Cause — 
James Perrine, First Insurance Agent— First Baptist Church Built— Letr 
ter from Dayton in 1827 — Canal Agitation — Dinner and Reception to De 
Witt Clinton — First Canal-Boat Arrives — Enthusiasm of the People — Ex- 
tension of Canal by Cooper Estate — Law Providing for Election of Mayor 
— Town Divided into Wards — Temperance Societj' — New Market-House 

— Rivalry Between Dayton and Cabintown — Private Schools— Manual- 
Training School — Seely's Basin — Peasley's Garden — Miniature Locomo- 
tive and Car Exhibited in Methodist Church — Daytonians Take Their 
First Railroad Ride— Seneca Indians Camp at Dayton — First Public 
Schools— School-Directors — Steele's Dam — General R. C. Schenck — Polit- 
ijcal Excitement— Council Cuts Down a Jackson Pole — Cholera in 1832 
and 183;3— Silk Manufactory — The Dayton Lyceum— Mechanics' Institute 

— Six Libraries in Dayton — Eighth of January Barbecue— Town Watch- 
men — Lafayette Commemorative Services. 

It became necessary, on account of the increase of county- 
business, to build a new Court-house in i8i6. Finished in 1817, 
it was of brick, two stories high, forty-six feet front and twenty 
feet deep, and cost one thousand two hundred and forty-nine 
dollars. It stood on the corner of the Court-house lot. The 
Watchman rented the upper story in 1818, "at fifty dollars per 
year and free publication of the annual report of the treasurer 
and election notices." For same time the second-story rooms 
were rented for lawyers' offices. 

In the spring of 1817 the advertisements of D. Stout, saddler, 
J. Stutsman, coppersmith, and Moses Hatfield, chairmaker, 
appeared for the first time in the Watchman. This year George 

133 



136 EARLY DAYTON 

Newcom was elected State Senator, and William George and 
George Grove members of the lower house ; D. C. Cooper, presi- 
dent of the Town Council ; W. Hunger, recorder ; John Patterson, 
corporation treasurer. 

Until 181 7 Daytonians could only cross the rivers by fording 
or in a ferry. In December, 1817, a bridge at Taylor Street over 
Mad River, built by the county for one thousand four hundred 
dollars, was finished.' It was a high, uncovered bridge, painted 
red. It fell into the river in 1828, but was rebuilt at once. In 
January, 181 7, a .stock company was incorporated to build the 
red toll-bridge across the Miami at Bridge Street. The following 
gentlemen were the incorporators : Robert Patterson, Joseph 
Peirce, David Reid, H. G. Phillips, James Steele, George S. 
Houston, William George, and William King.. It was not fin- 
ished till 1S19. The people were very proud of this bridge, which 
the Watchman describes as "a useful and stately structure, . . . 
little inferior in strength and beauty to the best of the kind in 
the State, and renders the Miami no longer an obstruction to the 
free intercourse with our neighbors on the other side." 

The Sabbath-School Association, the first organization of that 
kind in Dayton, was formed in March, 1817, through the influ- 
ence of Rev. Backus Wilbur, pastor of the First Presbyterian 
Church — a very popular man, for whom a nvimber of prominent 
citizens were named. He died in 1818. The inscription on his 
monument at Woodland Cemetery was written by the celebrated 
Rev. Dr. Archibald Alexander, of Princeton. A long obituary 
of Mr. Wilbur was published in the Watdijnan February 18, 
1819. The Sabbath-School Association held its meetings in the 
new Presbyterian church. An annual fee of twenty-five cents 
entitled any one to membership. All denominations were repre- 
sented, and most of the children of the town seem to have been 
enrolled. The list of names preserved in the history of the First 
Presbyterian Church is very interesting. Donors of five dollars 
or more became life-members. The society was managed by 
ladies, the ofiicers consivSting of a first and second directress, a 
secretary, treasurer, and five managers. The managers appointed 
the superintendent and the male and female teachers. The first 
board of managers consisted of the following ladies : Mrs. J. H. 
Crane, Mrs. Ayres, Mrs. Dr. Haines, Mrs. Hannah George, and 
Mrs. Joseph Peirce. Mrs. Sarah Bomberger was the first 
superintendent, and held the position for nearly twelve years. 



1816-1S35 137 

Mrs. George, mother of Mrs. Bomberger, was for several years 
secretary, and was very efficient. Mrs. Bomberger was the 
daughter of Judge George, a leading citizen, who came to Day- 
ton about 1805. In 1810 she married William Bomberger, who 
was county treasurer for fourteen years. Their children were 
George W., Ann, who married Peter P. I^owe, and William, who 
removed to Colorado and died there. In the spring of 1822 
Mrs. J. H. Crane, first directress of the Dayton Sabbath-School 
Association, reported that they had distributed one hundred and 
sixty-five books during the previous year, had one hundred and 
twelve tracts and five miniature histories of the Bible on hand, 
and $19.73 ^^ the treasury. 

The Methodist Sunday-School Society was organized in July, 
1818. Their meetings were held in the academy building. 
Adults and children were taught to read, and instructed in the 
Bible and catechism. There were, of course, no public schools 
here at that date. 

D. C. Cooper and H. G. Phillips were the only persons in Day- 
ton owning carriages in 181 7. 

The old Newcom Tavern was reopened in December by Blackall 
Stephens. The tavern was now called the "Sun Inn," and the 
swinging sign was decorated with a large picture of the sun. In 
an advertisement in the Watchmmi, with the sun flaming at its 
head, the house is described as " pleasantly situated on the bank 
of the Miami River," and the advantages of the inn, its comforts, 
sufiicient supply of bed-linen, furniture, and other necessaries 
are set forth at length. 

Game was nearly as abundant here at the date we have now 
reached as it was twenty years earlier. Mr. Samuel Forrer says 
in his reminiscences of Dayton in 1818 : " I remember that I killed 
three pheasants on the present site of Mr. Van Ausdal's house, 
in Dayton View. Quails, rabbits, etc., were found in plenty in 
'Buck Pasture,' immediately east of the canal basin, between 
First and Second streets. Wild ducks came in large flocks to the 
ponds within the present city limits, but the ponds have since 
been mainly wiped out by drainage ; and the fox-hunters had a 
great time on occasion by visiting the 'Brush Prairie,' within two 
miles of the Court-house. Deer, wild turkeys, and other game 
were killed in the neighborhood, and venison and wild meat 
were easily obtainable in Dayton." In 1821 Mr. H. G. Phillips 
frequently advertised a few coonskins for sale — used for caps. 



138 EARIvY DAYTON 

The Watchman in April, 1822, notices a squirrel-hunt in Mont- 
gomery County lasting a day and a half, in which one thousand 
squirrels were killed, and their scalps produced in evidence. 

Within the recollection of Rotert W. Steele, as late as 1830 and 
1840, game and fish were still abundant. An occasional deer 
could be found, and wild turkeys and pheasants were often shot 
b}' hunters. Squirrels and quails were thick in the woods and 
fields, and in the fall immense flights of wild pigeons alighted 
in the woods to feed on the mast. At irregular intervals one of 
those strange migrations of squirrels would occur, for which no 
satisfactor}^ cause has been given by naturalists. Starting from 
the remote Northwest, they would come in countless numbers, 
and nothing could turn them from their course. Rivers were no 
impediment to them, and bo3-s would stand on the shore of the 
Miami and kill them with clubs as they emerged from the water. 

The rivers were still full of fish. No more delicious table-fish 
could be found anywhere than the bass, when taken from the 
pure, clear water of the Miami and Mad rivers of that day. On 
the mill-race, which has since been converted into the Dayton 
View Hydraulic, stood Steele's sawmill, which ran onlj^ in the 
da3'time. At night the water was passed through a fish-basket, 
and each morning during the fish season it was found filled with 
bass of the largest size. In 1835 one Saturday afternoon a seine 
was drawn in the Miami, between the Main Street and Bridge 
Street bridges, and two large wagon-loads of fine fish were caught. 
Whatever hardships the pioneers of Dayton may have endured, 
they were in the enjoyment of luxuries that would have tickled 
the palate of an epicure. Fish-baskets, alluded to above, were 
usually made by building a dam on the riffles, so as to concen- 
trate the water at the middle of the river, where an opening was 
made into a box constructed of slats, and placed at a lower level 
than the dam. Into this box the fish ran, but were unable to 
return. A basket of this kind remained on the riffle at the foot 
of First Street as late as 1830. 

Previous to 1818 people wishing to visit Cincinnati were obliged 
to travel by private conveyance. But in the summer of this year a 
Mr. Lyon drove a passenger-coach from Dayton to Cincinnati 
once a week, beginning his trips in Maj*. On June 2 D. C. 
Cooper, of Dayton, and John H. Piatt, of Cincinnati, began run- 
ning a weekly mail-stage between the two towns, passing through 
Springdale, Hamilton, Middletown, and Franklin. Two days 



1816-1835 139 

and a night were required for the trip, the night being spent in 
Hamilton. The fare was eight cents a mile, with an allowance 
of fourteen pounds of baggage. John Crowder, a colored barber 
of Dayton, and his partner, Jacob Musgrave, also colored, drove 
a coach and four that carried twelve passengers to Cincinnati and 
return in 1820. Timoth}' Squier ran a stage to Cincinnati in 1822. 
Five o'clock in the morning was the hour of starting by coach. 
Worden Huffman owned the stage-line to Columbus, which con- 
nected at that place with a coach to Chillicothe. In June, 1825, 
stages commenced running twice a week between Columbus, 
Dayton, and Cincinnati. When this line was first established, it 
was thought by many that all interested in it were throwing 
their money away. It was not long, however, before it became 
necessary to increase the number of trips to two a week, and 
finally a daily stage was established. In 1827 we were connected 
with lyake Erie by triweekly coaches, the trip taking four days. 
Daily coaches were started June 25, connecting at Sandusky with 
steamers for Detroit and Buffalo, and at Mt. Vernon with a stage 
for Cleveland. The fare to Cincinnati was three dollars, six dol- 
lars to Columbus, and twelve dollars to the lake. Four hundred 
and ninety-seven passengers b}- stage passed through Dayton in 
1825. In 1828 there were stage-lines in every direction, twenty 
coaches arriving here every w'eek. 

In the era of ungraveled roads, when the coach went bumping 
over rough wagon-ruts, or splashing into deep mud-holes, or 
stuck fast in the mire, the journey to Cincinnati was a serious 
undertaking. It was ten or fifteen years later than 1825 before 
a short and pleasant trip could be made over an excellent turn- 
pike in an "Indian bow-spring coach," which was superior to 
all sorts in use. A guard accompanied each coach, and the 
drivers were well behaved, and understood their business. In 
1840 there were two daily lines of these coaches, owned by 
J. & P. Voorhees, one leaving at eight in the morning, and the 
other in the evening. 

In 181 8 George Grove and Judge George were elected members 
ol the Legislature, and Warren Munger town recorder. George 
Newcom was elected State Senator in 1819, and Henry Stoddard 
and John Harries Representatives. The number of voters in 
Dayton in 1819 was seven hundred and sixty-five, and the 
number in Montgomery County two thousand seven hundred 
and eightj^-five. 



I40 EARLY DAYTON 

In 1819 St. Thomas Church — the first Episcopal church in 
Dayton — was organized by Bishop Chase with twent3'-three 
members. In 183 1 Christ Episcopal Church was organized by 
Rev. Ethan Allen, and in 1833 they built the first Episcopal 
house of worship erected in Dayton on South JeiFerson, near 
Fifth Street. 

Shows in Dayton were few and far between at that period. In 
1819 an African lion was exhibited in the barnyard of Reid's Inn 
for four days, from nine in the morning till five in the afternoon. 
Patrons were assured that they would be in no danger, as the 
lion, "the largest in America, and the only one of his sort," was 
secured in a strong cage. Twenty-five cents admittance was 
charged; children, half price. In April, 1820, "Columbus," a 
large elephant, was on exhibition in the carriage-house of Reid's 
Inn— admittance, thirty-seven and a half cents ; children, half 
price. In 1823 the advertisement of a menagerie, containing an 
African lion, African leopard, cougar from Brazil, Shetland pony 
with rider, ichneumon, and several other animals, appeared in 
the newspaper. A band, composed of ancient Jewish cymbals 
and numerous modern instruments, accompanied the show. The 
show at Reid's Inn in 1824 contained but one elephant. The first 
circus which appeared in Dayton exhibited in Reid's barnyard 
July 19, 20, and 25, 1825. No more circuses came till 1829, when 
two exhibited, both on July 5 and 6. In August, 1827, a travel- 
ing museum, consisting of birds, beasts, wax figures, paintings, 
etc., visited Dayton. One of the articles exhibited is advertised 
in a style worthy of Barnum, as "that great natural curiosity, 
the Indian mummy, which was discovered and taken from the 
interior of a cave in Warren County, Kentucky, where it was 
probably secreted in its present state of preservation for one 
thousand j^ears." These museums, carried in cars or vans drawn 
by horses, traveled all over the Western country in early times. 
When they reached a town or village, the horses were unhar- 
nessed, and the cars were fastened together so as to make a 
continuous room for the display of the curiosities. 

Cooper's Mills were burned on the 20th of June, 1820, and four 
thousand bushels of wheat and two thousand pounds of wool 
destroyed. They were soon after rebuilt by H. G. Phillips and 
James Steele, executors of the Cooper estate. This was the first 
fire of any importance that occurred in Dayton, and led to the or- 
ganization of the first fire-company. Council provided ladders, 




I'ruui a photugrapli ty Wolfe. 



CITY BUILDINGS. 



1816-1835 141 

which were hung on the outside wall of the market-house on 
Second Street, and also passed an ordinance requiring each 
householder to provide two long, black, leather buckets, with his 
name painted thereon in white letters, and keep them in some 
place easily accessible in case of an alarm of fire. Before this no 
public provision for putting out fires had been made. 

On the night of November 16, 1824, George Grove's hat-store 
and the shop of Hollis, the watchmaker, were destro3-ed, the loss 
being about one thousand dollars. This fire, which was the first 
of any size which had occurred since 1820, created a good deal of 
excitement, as the corporation ladders were not in their place at 
the market-house, and the whole dependence for extinguishing 
the fire was on the leather buckets of citizens. An ordinance 
was passed threatening persons removing the public ladders from 
the market-house, except in case of fire, with a fine of ten dollars, 
and providing that a merchant who was going to Philadelphia in 
the spring of 1825 should be furnished with two hundred and 
twenty-six dollars and directed to purchase a fire-engine. 

On March 10, 1827, soon after the engine arrived, the first vol- 
tinteer fire-company of Dayton was organized. George C. Davis 
was captain. At the same time a hook-and-ladder company, of 
which Joseph Hollingsworth was captain, was formed. John W. 
Van Cleve was appointed by Council chief engineer of the Fire 
Department. The following fire-wardens were appointed : James 
Steele, Abram Darst, Dr. Job Haines, and Matthew Patton. It 
was the duty of the wardens to periodically inspect the fire 
apparatus. A board of fire-guards was soon after appointed, 
whose dut3^ it was to isolate and take charge of the neighborhood 
where the fire occurred while it was in progress and immediately 
afterward. The church bells sounded the fire-alarm, and fifty 
cents were paid to each sexton when the fire happened after nine 
in the evening. The one who rang his bell first received a dollar. 
The engine was a small affair, filled with the leather buckets, and 
the water was thrown by turning a crank in its side. Not much 
care was taken of it, for at a fire that occurred in 183 1 it could not 
be used, as it was filled with ice, the water not having been taken 
out after a fire which had occurred several weeks before. A 
second engine was bought in 1833 and a third in 1834, by sub- 
scription. 

In 1827 householders who had not themselves procured fire- 
buckets were provided with them by the town, the wardens 



142 EARLY DAYTON 

distributing them at the engine-house, a frame building on the 
Court-house lot near the Main Street alley. Council expended 
$112.50 on buckets, half of which were kept at the engine-house 
and the rest at private dwellings. Buckets kept by citizens were 
for twenty years inspected ever}^ April bj' the wardens. 

An alarm of fire brought out the whole population of the town, 
and the greatest excitement and confusion prevailed. Double 
lines were formed to the nearest pump, one line passing down 
the full buckets and the other returning the empty ones. Women 
were often efiicient workers in these lines. The water in a well 
would soon be exhausted, and a move had to be made to one more 
remote. It was hopeless to contend with a fire of any magnitude, 
and efforts in such cases were only made to prevent the spreading 
of the flames. 

In 1828 the following fire-wardens were appointed : James 
Steele, George W. Smith, Alexander Grimes, Matthew Patton, 
and Warren IMunger ; engineer, John W. Van Cleve. In 1833 
a company, called the "Safety Fire-Engine and Hose Com- 
pany, No. I," was formed and offered its services to Council. To 
it was entrusted the new hand-engine, the "Safety," which had 
suction-hose and gallery-brakes, and five hundred feet of 
hose. The following were the first officers of the company : 
Foreman, James Perrine; assistant foreman, Valentine Winters ; 
secretary, J. D. L,oomis ; treasurer, T. R. Black ; leader of 
hose-companj', Thomas Brown ; assistant leader, Henry Diehl ; 
directors, William P. Huffman, Jacob Wilt, Peter Baer, Henry 
Biechler, and Abraham Overlease. Fire-cisterns were built this 
3^ear under the .streets at Fir.st and Main, Third and Main, and 
Fifth and Main, and elsewhere. The cisterns were pumped full 
from neighboring wells, or filled by the engines, with hose, from 
the river or canal. In 1834 Alexander Grimes, I. T. Harker, 
John Rencli, D. Stone, and others formed a company called the 
" Fire-Guards. " They carried white wands, and it was their 
duty to protect property and keep order at fires. The following 
fire-wardens were appointed in 1836: First ward, Matthew 
Patton and INIoses Simpson ; second ward, James Steele and 
Abram Darst ; third, Musto Chani1>ers and Samuel Shoup ; 
fourth, John Rench and David Osborn : fifth, A. Artz and 
William Hart. 

A fire occurred here in 1S39 which on account of bad manage- 
ment excited much indignation. According to the newspaper 



1816-1835 143 

report, while the work of preservation was going on outside, an 
officious crowd, as was apt to be the case in those days, was 
playing havoc within doors. ' ' In their eagerness to save the 
owners from loss by fire, they wrenched the doors from the hinges, 
pulled the mantels from their places, shattered the windows, and 
broke the sash." The next issue of the paper contained the 
following card from officers of fire-companies : 

" Each company claims for itself the right to control its engine, 
hose, and pipe, and any interference b}^ an individual not a mem- 
ber of the association is calculated to create useless altercation 
and to retard the effective operation of the firemen. The brakes 
of our engines are alwaj's free to those who desire to render 
effective aid. All we ask is that those who are not connected 
with the Fire Department would either remain at a distance or 
work at the engines, believing, as we do, that the confusion 
created at fires is occasioned by those who are not connected with 
the engines. 

"E. W. Davies, President Second Engine Company. 

"E. Favorite, Vice-President. 

"V. Winters, Foreman Safety Engine and Hose Company. 

"Frederic Boyer, Assistant. 

"E. Carroll Roe, President Enterprise Company." 

It was difficult to maintain order in a volunteer fire department 
even when Dayton was a village, but as it grew into a city and 
the rougher elements of society were largely represented, fires 
became scenes of wildest excitement and disorder. There was a 
constant rivalry between the different companies as to who should 
reach the conflagration first, as to which engine threw the first 
water, as to which officer or private member deserved most honor 
for heroic or long-continued service. This led to bitter feuds : 
the hose of an engine was sometimes cut by members or 
adherents of another company ; while striving for the most 
advantageous position or engaged in an altercation on other 
points, the men frequently came to blows and fought each other 
instead of the fire; stones were thrown, ladders, trumpets — any- 
thing that came handy was used as a weapon of assault or 
defense, and both firemen and spectators w^ere often seriously 
injured. Going to a fire was like facing a mob, yet everybody 
went, whatever hour of night or day the flames broke out : such 
unusual excitement was not to be missed by the men and women 
of our then quiet little town. Every boy and nearly every man 
in town forty or fifty years ago was almost as ardent a partisan 
of the Independent Fire-Company, the Vigilance, the Deluge, 



144 EARLY DAYTON 

Oregon, etc., as of the political party to which b}- inheritance or 
conviction he belonged. But from 1856 there was, among the 
conservative class of citizens, a growing discontent with our 
unmanageable Fire Department. In 1863 the first steam-engine 
was purchased and our present splendidly equipped and perfectly 
ordered paid department inaugurated. 

The flush times during the War of 1812 were followed by a 
serious and general depression in business throughout the 
United States, and the growth of Dayton till 1827 was slight. 
Gold and silver were withdrawn from circulation to the great 
injury of business in this region, where good paper currency 
was scarce. During 1820, 1821, and 1822, sales of all kinds were 
made by means of barter. Wolf-scalp certificates, called log- 
cabin currency, were taken instead of cash. There was some 
talk of returning to cut-money — dividing silver dollars into 
quarters, and Mexican quarters into three dimes. The Dayton 
Bank suspended specie payment several times during this period. 

H. G. Phillips was president of the Town Council, and G. S. 
Houston recorder, in 1820 ; Aaron Baker, Luther Bruen, David 
Henderson, William Huffman, and Dr. John Steele, trustees. A 
fever prevailed during the summer and fall of 1821. There were 
seven hundred cases, and thirteen died. The population was one 
thousand. This year the three ponds southwest of town were 
drained — the "first two into the tail-race, and the other into 
the outlet from Patterson's pond to the river." Matthew Patton 
was president of Council, and G. S. Houston recorder, in 1821. 

August 21, 1822, the Montgomery County Bible Societ}^ was 
organized at a meeting of which Joseph H. Crane was chairman, 
and G. S. Houston secretary. Dr. Job Haines was elected 
president ; William King, Aaron Baker, and Rev. N. Worley, 
vice-presidents ; Luther Bruen, treasurer ; James Steele, corre- 
sponding secretary ; George S. Houston, recording secretary ; 
managers, John Miller, John H. Williams, John Patterson, David 
Reid, James Hanna, O. B. Conover, Daniel Pierson, Robert Pat- 
terson, James Slaght, John B. Ayers, Joseph Kennedy, Hezekiah 
Robinson, and Robert McConnel. This year was also formed the 
Dayton Foreign Missionary Society. James Steele was elected 
treasurer, and Job Haines secretary. The membership fee was 
fifty cents a year, which could be paid in money, clothes, kitchen 
furniture, or groceries, to be sent to the Indians, of whom a 
number still lived in Ohio. 



1816-1835 145 

In 1820 the Lancasterian or "mutual instruction" system of 
education was exciting great interest. Sharing in the general 
feeling in favor of the new method, the trustees of the Dayton 
Academy determined to introduce it in that institution. The 
trustees at that time were Joseph H. Crane, Aaron Baker, William 
M. Smith, George S. Houston, and David Lindsly. A house 
speciall}' adapted to the purpose was built of brick on the north 
side of the academy, and consisted of a single room sixty-two 
feet long and thirty-two feet wide. The floor was of brick, and 
the house was heated by "convolving flues" underneath the 
floor. The walls were thickly hung with printed lesson-cards, 
before which the classes were marched to recite under monitors 
selected from their own number, as a reward for meritorious 
conduct and scholarship. For the youngest scholars a lono-, 
narrow desk, thickly covered with white sand, was provided, on 
which, with wooden pencils, they copied and learned the letters 
of the alphabet from cards hung up before them. 

The following are some of the rules adopted for the government 
of the school : 

' ' The moral and literary instruction of the pupils entered at 
the Dayton Lancasterian Academy will be studiously, diligently, 
and temperately attended to. 

"They will be taught to spell, and read deliberately and dis- 
tinctly, agreeably to the rules laid down in Walker's Dictionary ; 
and in order to do that correctly they will be made conversant 
with the first rules of grammar. The senior class will be re- 
quired to give a complete grammatical analj^sis of the words as 
they proceed. 

"They will be required to write with freedom all the different 
hands now in use on the latest and most approved plan of pro- 
portion and distance. 

"There will be no public examinations at particular seasons, 
in a Lancasterian school every day being an examination day, at 
which all who have leisure are invited to attend." 

In 182 1 the trustees adopted the following resolution, which 
would hardl}' accord with the present ideas of the jurisdiction 
of boards of education, or the authority of teachers : 

''Resolved, That any scholar attending the Lancasterian School 

who may be found playing ball on the Sabbath, or resorting to 

the woods or commons on that day for sport, shall forfeit any 

badge of merit he may have obtained and twentj^-five tickets ; 

10 



146 EARLY DAYTON 

and if the offense appears aggravated, shall be further degraded 
as the tutor shall think proper and necessary ; and that this 
resolution be read in school every Friday previous to the dis- 
missal of the scholars." 

Gideon McMillan, who claimed to be an expert, having taught 
in a Lancasterian school in Europe, was appointed the first prin- 
cipal. In 1822 he was succeeded by Captain John McMullin, 
who came with high recommendations from Lexington, Virginia. 

In 1823 there was a unique Fourth-of-July celebration under 
the direction of Captain John McMullin, of the Lancasterian 
School. A procession, composed of the clergy of the town, the 
trustees, and two hundred scholars, marched from the school on 
St. Clair Street to the First Presbyterian Church, where the 
Declaration of Independence was read by Henry Bacon, and a 
sermon delivered by Rev. N. M. Hinkle. It seems that Captain 
McMullin had served as a soldier, for the Watchman, in a notice 
of the celebration, says : "Captain John McMullin appeared as 
much in the service of his country when marching at the head 
of the Lancasterian School, as while formerly leading his com- 
panj' in battle." 

In 1823 Francis Glass, an interesting man and remarkable 
scholar, taught a boys' school in Dayton. 

The Watchman, on the 3d of September, 1822, contained the 
prospectus of the Gridiron, a weekly newspaper, edited and 
published by John Anderson, with the view of exposing and 
reforming people whose views of right and wrong differed from 
his own. The editor pledged his honor, liberty, and his life, if 
necessary, to the success of the Gridiron. The sheet was much 
dreaded by persons politically or otherwise obnoxious to the 
editor and contributors, and on it "evil-doers received a good 
roasting." Its motto was, 

" Burn, roast meat, burn. 

Boil with oily fat; ye spits, forget to turn." 

The subscription price was one dollar per year, payable one-half 
yearly in advance, and it was printed on what was described as 
good medium paper, in octavo form. Thomas Buchanan Read, 
then living in Dayton, with his reputation all to win, was one 
of the contributors. A bitter political contest was being waged 
in Dayton at this period, and members of both parties, both in 
conversation and print, abused each other in a style that at the 
present day would have occasioned trial for slander. The Grid- 



1816-1835 147 

iron published the severest and most unjustifiable attacks on its 
opponents, or on unobtrusive citizens. Sometimes the broad 
burlesque or caricature of the articles excites a smile, but they 
are seldom even amusing. The writers are not restrained by 
truth, honor, or good taste, but indulge in wholesale abuse, 
which is unredeemed by genuine wit or humor. It is no wonder 
that such a scurrilous paper had a short career. 

George B. Holt, better known now as Judge Holt, began to 
publish and edit, in 1823, a weekly Democratic paper, called the 
Miami Repiiblican and Dayton Advertiser, which was continued 
till 1826. It was eleven by twenty-one inches in size. Judge 
Holt was a native of Connecticut, born in 1790, admitted to the 
bar of Litchfield in 181 2, and came to Dayton in 1819. In 1828 
he was elected judge of the Court of Common Pleas of Mont- 
gomery County by the Legislature, serving till 1836; elected 
again in 1842, serving till 1849. He was a member of the Ohio 
Legislature in 1824 and 1827, "and was conspicuously connected 
with some of the most important early legislation of the State." 
In 1825 the first act establishing free schools was passed by the 
Legislature. Judge Holt was an earnest and active advocate of 
the measure, and to him was greatly due the passage of the act. 
In 1850 Judge Holt, who "had a high reputation as a lawyer, and 
was popular among all classes of the people," was elected a 
member of the convention called to adopt a new constitution for 
the State of Ohio. He was prominent in the convention, which 
many of the most noted men in the State attended. From this 
period till his death, in 187 1, he took little part in political or 
professional life, though he was an ardent supporter of the Union 
in the War of the Rebellion. He was learned in his profession, 
and was a man of keen, strong intellect and literary tastes. He 
was a member of the Presbyterian Church, and highly esteemed 
as a citizen. He has three daughters — Miss Eliza and Miss 
Martha Holt and Mrs. Belle H. Burrowes — and several grand- 
children. 

In 1826 William Campbell, of Westmoreland County, Pennsyl- 
vania, purchased and consolidated the Dayton Watchman and the 
Miami Rep2iblican. The new paper was published weekly, and 
was called the Ohio Natio7ial Jo7irnal and Montgomery County 
and Dayton Advertiser. After a few weeks it was sold to Jephtha 
Regans, who, in 1827, sold one-half interest to Peter P. Lowe, 
and they carried it on together till 1828. It was Whig in politics. 



148 EARLY DAYTON 

and its motto was, "Principles and not men, where principles 
demand the sacrifice." It was thirteen by twenty inches in 
size, with five columns to the page. The paper was now called 
the Dayt07i Jotirnal and Advertiser. In 1828 J. W. Van Cleve 
purchased Mr. Lowe's interest. In 1830, Mr. Regans having died, 
Mr. Van Cleve entered into partnership with Richard N. Comly. 
In 1834 William F. Comly bought Mr. Van Cleve' s share in the 
paper. Its size was increased to a seven-column folio, and it 
became the largest paper published in Ohio. Any one examining 
the files of the Jotirnal of this date in the Public Library cannot 
but feel a pride in the fact that early Daj'ton had a newspaper 
of such excellence, whether as to print, or editorials and contribu- 
tions. The owners' chief aim was to publish a paper of the high- 
est character. R. N. Comly left Da3'ton many years ago, but 
William F. Comly is well known to the younger, as well as the 
older, generation of citizens. In his management of Wvt Journal 
he exhibited a breadth of view, generosity, public spirit, and 
thorough disinterestedness of which only the noblest class of 
men are capable. The Journal, without regard to the popularitj' 
or financial success of the editor, advocated every city reform 
and improvement, and was a wonderful power for good. In so 
unobtrusive and matter-of-course a wajj- was Mr. Comly 's work 
for Dayton done that probably few are aware how greatly 
indebted the town is to him. In 1840 the Journal was changed 
to a daily, then to a triweekly. Since 1847 it has been published 
as both a weekly and daily. 

February 9, 1824, a meeting was held at Colonel Reid's inn to 
raise monej' for the Greek cause. Simeon Broadwell was elected 
chairman. Dr. Job Haines secretary, and George S. Houston 
treasurer. One hundred and fifteen dollars were collected, and 
William M. Smith, George W. Smith, and Stephen Fales were 
appointed a committee to remit the money to the Greek Fund 
Committee of New York. 

This year John Compton was president of the Town Council, 
and J. W. Van Cleve recorder. 

The revenue of the town for 1825 was one hundred and seventy- 
two dollars. 

In June, 1826, James Perrine was appointed agent for the Pro- 
tection Insurance Company of Hartford, and was the first person 
engaged in that business in Dayton. Mr. Perrine was just begin- 
ning his long and honorable career as a merchant in Dayton. 




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From a photograjih ij- Ap| 1 



STEELE HIGH SCHOOL. 



1816-1835 149 

There were eight hundred and forty-eight voters in Dayton 
Township in 1827. The population within the corporation was 
one thousand six hundred. Dr. John Steele was president of 
the Town Council, and R. J. Skinner recorder. George B. Holt 
was elected State Senator this year, and Alexander Grimes and 
Robert Skinner Representatives. 

In 1827 the Baptist society, organized in 1824, built, on the 
alley on the west side of Main Street, between Monument 
Avenue and First Street, its first church, costing two thousand 
dollars. 

The following is an extract from an interesting letter written 
December 11, 1827, by a person living in Dayton to a friend in 
New Jersey : 

"I will now give you some account of our town. There are 
in it at present thirteen dry-goods stores, four public inns, seven- 
teen groceries, one wliolesale warehouse, two printing-offices, 
three wagon-maker shops, one carriage sliop, four Ijlacksmith 
shops, two sickle shops, one tinner shop, one coppersmith shop, 
three hatter shops, seven shoemaker shops, seven tailor shops, 
three tanyards, three saddler shops, three watchmaker shops, one 
brewery, one flour-mill with three run of stone, one sawmill 
with two saws, one fulling-mill, one set of carding-machines, 
and a cotton factory. There are six schools, — three with male, 
three with female, teachers, — one tallow-chandler, and two 
tobacconists. We have a market-house one hundred feet long, 
and it is well supplied. There have been brought to it during 
the last summer and fall twelve to sixteen beeves a week, and 
other niea*", poultry, and vegetables accordingly. The produc- 
tions of the country are much greater than can be consumed. 
The article of butter is very great. One merchant has taken in 
and sent to foreign markets thirty-two thousand six hundred 
pounds within one year. We have pork in the greatest of 
plenty. I was employed last year in taking in pork for Phillips 
& Perrine. We took in upwards of eighty thousand pounds at 
$1.50 per hundred. I started with it about the middle of Febru- 
ary, and took it to New Orleans. This is the second trip I have 
made down the long and crooked streams of the Ohio and Mis- 
sissippi. I shall commence taking in pork for Phillips & Perrine 
on Monday next, but I rather think I shall not take it to New 
Orleans for them this time, unless they give me higher wages. 
I went for them the other trips for fifty dollars the trip, the 
distance by water being over one thousand five hundred miles. 
I was gone each trip nearly ten weeks." 

Thirty-six brick buildings and thirty-four of wood were erected 
in town during 1828. The population was one thousand six 
hundred and ninety-seven. Twenty stages arrived weekly. Dr. 



150 EARLY DAYTON 

John Steele was president of the Town Council, and John W. Van 
Cleve recorder. 

A meeting was called at Colonel Reid's inn on the evening of 
June 29, 182 1, to appoint a committee to cooperate with com- 
mittees in other places to raise means to pay for a survey of the 
route for a canal from Mad River to the Ohio, and to ascertain 
the practicability and expense of such a canal. Judge Crane was 
chairman of this meeting, and G. S. Houston secretary. The 
following gentlemen were appointed to collect funds to pay for 
the survey: H. G. Phillips, G. W. Smith, Dr. John Steele, 
Alexander Grimes, and J. H. Crane. The law authorizing the 
making of a canal from Dayton to Cincinnati passed the Legis- 
lature in 1825. 

On the 4th of July, 1825, Governor De Witt Clinton, of New 
York, assisted at the inauguration of the Ohio Canal at New^ark. 
At a public meeting of the citizens of Dayton, James Steele and 
Henry Bacon were appointed a committee to wait on the Gover- 
nor at Newark and invite him to partake of a public dinner in 
their town. Resolutions were also adopted and preparations 
made for his reception. Mr. Steele returned from Newark on the 
evening of Wednesday, the 6th, and reported that the Governor 
had accepted and would be here on Saturday. A number of 
gentlemen of Daj^ton and a detachment of the troop of horse 
commanded by Captain Squier met the Governor at Fairfield 
and escorted him to town. At 2 : 30 p.m. Governor Clinton and 
his suite, INIessrs. Jones and. Reed, Governor Morrow, Hon. Ethan 
A. Brown, Hon. Joseph Vance, Messrs. Tappan and Williams, 
canal commissioners, and Judge Bates, civil engineer, arrived at 
Compton's Tavern, on the corner of ]\Iain and Second streets, 
where they were received by the citizens. Judge Crane made 
an address of welcome, which was responded to by Governor 
Clinton. About four o'clock the guests and citizens sat down to 
an elegant dinner prepared for the occasion at Reid's Inn. Judge 
Crane presided, and Judge Steele and Colonel Patterson acted as 
vice-presidents. The dinner closed with appropriate toasts. In 
the evening Judge Steele gave a reception to Governor Clinton 
at his residence, on the site of Music Hall. The house, which 
stood far back from Main Street, as well as the yard, was bril- 
liantly illuminated. Governor Clinton addressed the people 
from the porch which ran along the Main Street side of the 
house. On account of his advocacy of canals, Governor Clinton 



1816-1835 151 

had long been popular in Ohio, and many boys were named for 
him. His Dayton namesakes were presented to him at the 
reception, and to each of them he gave a silver dollar. Some 
of the recipients of these gifts preserved them as souvenirs as 
long as they lived, though a silver dollar must have burned the 
pocket of a boy of that period, with whom a coin or money of 
any kind or amount was a rare possession. 

It was suggested in October, 1825, that it would be a good plan 
to run the canal, which need not be wider than forty feet, down 
the middle of Main Street, reducing the sidewalks to twelve 
feet, leaving a roadway thirty-four feet wide on either side of the 
water, and rendering Main the handsomest street in Ohio. This 
proposed course of the canal was for a few daj'S marked out by 
a line of red flags the length of the street. It was feared that the 
canal would be located a mile from the Court-house, which would 
seriously injure the town ; and it was a great relief to citizens 
when the commissioners located it "on the common between the 
sawmill race and the seminary, on St. Clair Street." The con- 
struction of the canal was at first ' ' violentlj^ opposed as a ruinous 
and useless expenditure" ; but as soon as the law authorizing 
the expenditure was passed, and before the canal was located, 
the rapid improvement of Dayton and the increase in population 
proved the wisdom and foresight of those who, since 1818, had 
been agitating the subject of canal improvements in the Miami 
Valley. One of the objections against the canal urged by oppo- 
nents of the project was that it could not be made to hold water. 
As the bed of the canal ran through loose gravel, there seemed 
to be force in the objection, and, indeed, some difiiculty of this 
kind was experienced. The bottom of the canal, however, soon 
"puddled," and became water-tight. 

The first canal-boat built in Dayton was launched near Fifth 
Street on Saturday, August 16, 1828, at 2 p.m. The citizens were 
invited to assemble at the firing of the cannon to witness the 
launch. The boat was called the Alpha, of Dayton, and was 
built for McMaken & Hilton by Solomon Eversull. The Alpha 
was pronounced by many superior to any boat on the line of the 
Miami Canal. As the water had not 3'et been let into the canal, 
a temporar\- dam was built across the canal at the bluffs, and 
water was turned in from the sawmill tail-race at Fifth Street. 
Trial trips were then made from the dam to Fifth Street and 
back. The Dayton Guards, a military company of boys organ- 



152 EARLY DAYTON 

ized a few weeks before, made the first trip on the Alpha. 
Friday evening, September 26, 1828, water was first let into the 
canal by the contractors from the mill-race at the corner of Fifth 
and Wyandotte streets. In January, 1S29, citizens of Dayton 
were gratified with the sight so long desired of the arrival of 
canal-boats from Cincinnati. Four arrived during the day, each 
welcomed by the firing of a cannon and enthusiastic cheers from 
the crowd assembled on the margin of the basin. 

The people made a festival of the completion of the canal, 
which, they congratulated themselves, had begun a new era of 
prosperity for the town, and took every opportunity to celebrate 
the event. There were several excursions, and on the evening 
of February 5, 1829, the canal being frozen over so that naviga- 
tion was impossible, Captain Archibald, of the Gover?ior Brown, 
which was embargoed by the ice at the basin, gave a handsome 
collation on board to a number of ladies and gentlemen. The 
next evening the captains of a number of boats lying in the 
basin partook of a canal supper at the National Hotel, and drank 
a number of toasts suitable to the occasion. On the i6th of 
April a steam canal-boat, called the Enterprise, arrived here. 
Two cords of wood were used in the passage from Cincinnati to 
Dayton. For many years it was believed that steam could be used 
in propelling boats on the canal, but after a fair trial it was found 
to be impracticable. Twenty hours from Cincinnati to Dayton 
by canal was considered a rapid trip. Merchandise was brought 
here from New York by water in twenty days. 

The completion of the State canal, which ended at Second 
Street, was soon followed by the construction of a new basin, 
beginning at the terminus of the original one and extending to 
First Street. It was constructed by the Basin Extension Com- 
pany, formed by H. G. Phillips and James Steele, executors of 
the Cooper estate, in 1830. Its object was to draw business to 
the part of town through which it passed. This new basin ran 
down the ravine, fifteen or twenty feet deep, which extended from 
the head of Mill Street to the corner of Piatt and Harris, thence to 
the corner of Second and St. Clair, and down St. Clair to Fifth. 
"Through this ravine the waters of Mad River, breaking through 
the culvert in the levee near its mouth in spite of the exertions 
of men working night and day to prevent it, sought, at almost 
every flood, a channel through which to discharge themselves 
into the Miami below town. 



1816-1835 153 

Until the extension of the Miami Canal to the north in 1841, 
Dayton was at the head of navigation, and supplies of every 
kind for this region for a long distance around were forwarded 
from here. A brisk trade with Fort Wayne as a distributing 
point was kept up, and wagon-trains were constantly passing 
between the two points. Swaynie's Tavern, at the head of the 
basin, was the favorite resort of the wagoners, and his large 
stable-j-ard was nightly crowded with wagons, and his tavern 
with the drivers. 

In January, 1829, there were one hundred and twenty -five 
brick buildings in Dayton, six of stone, and two hundred and 
thirty-nine of wood. There were two hundred and thirty-five 
dwelling-houses, and Presbyterian, Methodist, and Christian 
brick meeting-houses. This year Timothy Squier opened the 
National Hotel in the building on Third Street adjoining the 
Beckel House. The white population of Dayton in 1829 was 
two thousand two hundred and seventy-two ; blacks, eighty-six. 
There had been an increase of six hundred and sixty-one in the 
population during the past fourteen months. The amount of 
merchants' capital returned by the assessor of Montgomery 
County for 1829 w'as one hundred and twenty-nine thousand 
eight hundred and eleven dollars. Under a new law passed by 
the Uegislature, the free white male freeholders over the age of 
twenty-one who resided in the corporation one year voted for a 
mayor instead of a president of Council, and one recorder and 
five trustees. John Folkerth was elected IVIayor, David Winters 
recorder, and Nathaniel Wilson, James Haight, John Rench, 
Luther Bruen, and William Atkins, trustees. An ordinance 
was passed by Council dividing the town into five wards. The 
improvements of the town were nearly all confined to the tract 
bounded by the river on the north and west, Mill and Canal 
streets on the east, and vSixtli Street on the south. 

At a meeting held in 1829 the first Dayton Temperance Society 
was formed. William King was moderator and Dr. Haines 
secretary of the meeting. The following persons were appointed 
to prepare a constitution and an address to the public : A. Baker, 
Daniel Ashton, D. Winters, D. L. Burnet, John Steele, Job 
Haines, H. Jewett, William M. Smith, and Henrj^ Bacon. For 
some time the Dayton newspapers were full of arguments for 
and against temperance societies. 

On Jul}' 27, 1S29, it was decided that the new market-house, 



154 EARLY DAYTON 

which the city was about to build, should be located in the alley 
running from Jefferson Street to Main, between Third and Fourth 
streets. For the purpose of widening the market-space, property 
costing one thousand one hundred and ninety-six dollars was 
purchased by Council. A small building was put up on Main 
Street, which was extended to Jefferson Street in 1836. All the 
space east of the market-house of 1829 to Jefferson Street was 
given up to market-wagons. The old market-house on Second 
Street was abandoned April 24, 1830. A bitter rivalry existed 
between the parts of the town divided by Third Street. People 
living north of Third Street appropriated the name of "Dayton" 
to themselves, and in derision called that part of the town lying 
south of that street "Cabintown." When it was proposed to 
remove the market from Second Street to the present location, 
violent opposition was made, and every measure resorted to to 
defeat it. Two tickets were nominated for city ofl&cers, politics 
were forgotten, and this was made the sole issue. Cabintown 
proved numerically the stronger, and the fate of the market- 
house was sealed. When the market-house was moved, Thomas 
Morrison, who had it in charge, placed a large placard on it, 
"Bound for Cabintown," which was read with the deepest 
chagrin by the people on Market [now Second] Street. So 
bitter was the feeling that for a long time many persons refused 
to attend market at the new location. 

Numerous advertisements of schools taught in Dayton appear 
in the newspapers between 1829 and 1834. In 1829 Edmund 
Harrison, a competent and successful teacher, taught what he 
called an "Inductive Academy" in a building which he erected 
for the purpose. He was followed by Ira Fenn. In 1832 an 
accomplished woman. Miss Maria Harrison, daughter of Edmund 
Harrison, taught a school for young ladies. In 1831 J. J. S. 
Smith, afterwards an eminent member of the Dayton bar, — 
father of S. B. and J. McLain Smith,— taught a school in the 
stone building on Main Street next to the High School. To 
illustrate how new ideas penetrated the West, it may be stated 
that Dr. and IVIrs. Foster, in 1829, advertised a school to be con- 
ducted on the method of Pestalozzi. 

Advertisements of singing-schools and writing-schools appear 
frequently. The flaming advertisement of D. Easton, teacher of 
penmanship, recalls the day before the invention of steel pens, 
when no small part of the time of the teacher was spent in 



1816-1S35 155 

making and mending quill pens. He offers to teach "the round 
running hand, the ornamental Italian hand, the waving hand, 
the swift, angular running hand without ruling, and various 
others, both plain and ornamental." 

In 1833 David Pruden invited Milo G. Williams to come to 
Dayton to take charge of a manual-labor school to be established 
in a large brick building owned by him at the junction of Jeffer- 
son and Warren streets. Shops were erected for instruction in 
various mechanical trades. Mr. Williams was to conduct the 
academic, and Mr. Pruden the labor and boarding, department. 
A large number of boys from Cincinnati and other places were 
attracted to the school b)- Mr. Williams's reputation as a teacher, 
and the school for a time enjoyed great popularity. Both the 
principals were actuated by philanthropic motives in their 
attempt to combine intellectual culture with preparation for 
the practical duties of life ; but they were at least fifty years 
ahead of their times, and the school was closed from lack of 
pecuniary success. 

In 1830 a company was formed to construct a basin connecting 
the canal at its intersection with Wayne Street and a point at the 
southern extremity of the city. Morris Seely was the main 
mover in this project, and great expectations were entertained in 
regard to it. The Supreme Court had decided that the water- 
power within the city limits, and furnished by the canal, belonged 
to the State of Ohio, a decision which was afterwards reversed, 
and the water-power given to the Cooper estate. It was believed 
that this water-power could be leased and utilized along the pro- 
posed basin. Land was bought at what was then an extravagant 
price, and lots laid out. These lots were small in size, and 
arranged for factories, warehouses, and docks, such as would be 
required in a large city, but were unsuited to a place with the 
pretensions of Dayton. The scheme proved an utter failure, and 
left consequences that were an annoyance to the city for years 
afterwards. The lots were unsalable, and the method of platting 
a serious detriment to that part of the town. The canal, or 
ditch, as it was afterwards called, bred disease, and the citj' 
authorities were called upon to fill it up. Before the controversj- 
was finally settled, the excitement ran so high that the sawmill 
of Mr. B. Thresher, located on the canal at Wayne Street, which 
used the ditch as a tail-race, was burned. A large part of the 
ditch is now filled up, and the lower end used as a city drain. In 



156 EARLY DAYTON 

connection with the basin and on its bank a pleasure-garden was 
opened by A. M. Peasley on Warren Street. A small pleasure- 
boat was run from Third Street on summer afternoons to the 
garden, where refreshments were provided, and it was expected 
that large numbers of pleasure-seekers would resort there. Like 
the basin, the garden was ahead of the times, and after trial of 
two or three years was abandoned. 

In 1830 Stevenson ran the first locomotive in England over the 
Manchester & Liverpool Railroad. The same year a miniature 
locomotive and cars were exhibited in Dayton in the Methodist 
church. The fact that the City Council b}' resolution exempted 
the exhibition from a license fee, and that the Methodist church 
was used for this purpose, illustrates the deep interest felt by the 
public in the new and almost untried scheme to transport freight 
and passengers by steam over roads constructed for the purpose. 
A track was run around the interior of the church, and for a 
small fee parties were carried in the car. A large part of the 
then citizens of Dayton took their first railroad ride in this way. 

The population of Dayton in 1830 was two thousand nine hun- 
dred and fifty-four, a gain of one thousand two hundred and 
thirty-seven in little more than two years. This year eighty-one 
houses were built. In 1831 fifty brick and seventy-two frame 
buildings were erected. The population was three thousand two 
hundred and fifty-eight. Six thousand two hundred and nine- 
teen passengers by coach passed through town this year. 

In November about two hundred and fifty Seneca Indians, men, 
women, and children, on their way to the reservation west of the 
Mississippi River, encamped at the big spring on the north side 
of Mad River. They were here three daj's, and excited great 
curiosity by their singular, rude, and uncivilized habits and ap- 
pearance. One of the gaping crowd, who was watching them at 
dinner, moved off in some confusion when an Indian, at whom 
he was staring, looked up and said, " Indian eats just like white 
man; he puts the victuals in his mouth." At this period no 
houses had been erected on the northwest corner of First and Jef- 
ferson streets, and the lots were used for shows. The Indians 
took great pleasure in riding on a merry-go-round, which was a 
feature of the show of 183 1. One afternoon a crowd of them, all 
intoxicated, came whooping down First Street. Not satisfied 
with riding, they proceeded to break the merry-go-round and 
fight the owner and his customers. Nothing could be done with 



Mu km f m hi 





1816-1835 157 

them till the agent who had coniinand of them arrived, armed 
with a club, which he used freely. Their submission was so sud- 
den and entire as to be laughable. They feared the United States 
Government, which the agent represented, and fled before its 
representative like sheep to their camp across Mad River. 

The first Dayton public school was opened Decembers, 183 1. 
by Sylvanus Hall, "approved teacher," in the school-room on 
Jefferson Street between Water and First streets. Public money 
was appropriated to support it, but the amount not being suffi- 
cient, each pupil paid a dollar per quarter for tuition. Three 
additional rooms were soon afterwards opened in different parts 
of the town for the convenience of scholars. 

School-directors seem at first to have been appointed at public 
meetings of citizens. The following served during this period : 
Luther Bruen, Nathaniel Wilson, Henry Van Tu3-1, Thomas 
Brown, William Hart, James Slaght, J. H. Mitchell, David 
Osborn, Ralph P. Lowe, Simon Snyder, and William IL Brown. 
The city charter of 184 1 provided for the appointment by Council 
of a school-manager from each ward, and Council and this board 
worked together harmoniousl}- for years. The tax levy for school 
purposes was so small that frequently the schools could only be 
kept open a few months. The teachers taught private schools in 
the houses the remainder of the year. 

Just below the mouth of Stillwater the Miami makes a bend 
in the form of a horseshoe, inclosing in it that part of Dayton 
known as Riverdale. B3' cutting a race across the bend, a val- 
uable water-power is obtained. About 1829 James Steele, who 
owned the land, completed a dam across the Miami and the race. 
In 1831 he erected a sawmill and afterward a grist-mill. This 
water-power is now known as the Da3ton View Hydraulic. In 
digging the race an immense tooth of a mastodon was unearthed, 
which was deposited as a curiosity in the Cincinnati Museum. 
As no other part of the skeleton was found in the vicinit}-, it is 
supposed that the tooth was brought with the drift from some 
other region. 

General Robert C. Schenck began the practice of law in Day- 
ton in 1831. He was a public-spirited citizen, taking an active 
interest in all efforts for the improvement of the town, and im- 
pressing himself upon this community long before he attained a 
national reputation. He devoted much time and labor to the 
Dayton Lyceum, Mechanics' Institute, Public Librar}', Woodland 



158 EARLY DAYTON 

Cemeter}-, cit}- park, the hydraulic, turnpikes, railroads, and 
public schools, and frequently gave gratuitous lectures at the in- 
vitation of his townsmen. 

This year the rivers were very high at Dayton, and there was 
much destruction of property and great distress caused by the 
unprecedented height of the Ohio at Cincinnati. As soon as the 
news reached here that the homes of many poor people at Cincin- 
nati had been washed away, a call for a meeting at the Court- 
house to raise funds for the flood-sufferers was published in the 
Dayton newspapers. At the meeting two hundred and two dol- 
lars were raised by subscription and sent by John W. Van Cleve, 
Mayor of Dayton, to the Mayor of Cincinnati, "to aid in 
relieving the distressed people of that cit}-." 

At no time in the histor}' of Dayton, except during the Civil 
War, has there been as exciting a political campaign as that of 
1832, preceding the second election of General Jackson as Presi- 
dent of the United States. So bitter was the feeling on both 
sides in this contest that Whigs and Democrats, though neigh- 
bors and old friends, ceased speaking to each other on the 
streets. Previous to IMadison's administration the people of 
Dayton seem to have been nearly all of one mind on the subject 
of politics, or at any rate not intense partisans ; but for a num- 
ber of years after that date an election rarely passed without 
several fights between the members of the two parties — usually 
on the corner of Main and Third streets, for the Coi:rt-house was 
the polling-place for the whole township, in which the territory 
now assigned to Harrison, Mad River, and Van Buren townships 
was then included. Late on the night before the Presidential 
election in 1832, a tall hickory pole was erected on the outer edge 
of the pavement in front of the Court-house, and from it floated 
the American flag. Great was the surprise and indignation of 
the Whigs when this pole greeted their e3^es the next morning, 
and great the triumph of the party which had erected it. Crowds 
of Whigs gathered on the corners, muttering angry impreca- 
tions. It was evident that they would not permit the hickory 
tree to remain standing at the polls, and as certain that the 
Democrats would violently resist any effort which the other 
party might make to remove it, and that a pitched battle would 
ensue if the authorities did not interfere. A meeting of Council 
was held early in the morning, and presently those of the citizens 
who had not gone home to breakfast saw the Council, headed 



1S16-1835 159 

by the marshal, John Dodson, followed by John W. Van Cleve, 
the gigantic Mayor, ax in hand, and Dr. John Steele and 
F. F. Carrell, march to the hickory tree and form a circle around 
it. The Mayor notified the marshal of the order of Council just 
passed to "cut down the pole and drag it out as a nuisance." 
It was the duty of the marshal to perform this perilous act. 

An account of this occurrence published in the Journal in 1889 
called out two communications on the subject from eye-witnesses. 
One of them says : "In the face and in defiance of an outraged 
and infuriated collection (not mob) of red-hot Jackson Demo- 
crats — and what that meant could hardly be appreciated by 
one of this cold-blooded, law-abiding generation — the worthy 
marshal hesitated, as well he might. A man of lofty mien and 
determined purpose in every movement stepped to the front, 
seized the ax, and, wielding it as only a stalwart Kentuckian 
could wield it, with a few well-served strokes brought the offen- 
sive emblem to the ground. When it fell, there was a pause ; not 
a cheer was heard from the Whigs, and only muttered curses 
from the Democrats. The audacity of this brave act of Dr. John 
Steele, a man universally known and respected, no doubt pre- 
vented a bloody riot." Another correspondent states that the 
pole was cut down by Herbert S. Williams. Probably both 
accounts were correct, as from the size of the pole it would 
require a good many strokes of the ax to fell it, and more than 
one hand may have been employed on it. 

A canal-boat arrived in Dayton December 17, 1832, with 
twenty-five German emigrants on board, all of whom were ill 
with cholera, or something similar to it. One of them had died 
the day before the boat reached here. They all crowded into a 
small room together when they landed. Seven of the Germans 
and the two nurses employed by the town died. A board of 
health had been appointed by Council in the summer, so that all 
sanitary precautions were taken to prevent the spread of the dis- 
ease, which was prevailing in other parts of the United States. 
The Board of Health consisted of a member of Council and two 
other citizens from each ward. The following persons were 
appointed : First Ward, Aaron Baker and George C. Davis ; 
Second Ward, James Steele and William Bomberger; Third Ward, 
H. G. Phillips and Stephen Whicher ; Fourth Ward, Dr. Haines 
and E. W. Davies ; Fifth Ward, James Mitchell and William Pat- 
terson. There were thirty-three deaths here from cholera in 1833. 



l6o EARIyY DAYTON 

During 1832 fift3'-oiie brick and sixty-two wooden houses were 
erected. A silk manufactory was established in town this year 
by Daniel Rowe. He made sewing-silk and the warp for coarse 
stuffs. Some handkerchiefs were also manufactured. He adver- 
tises in June that he has two thousand Italian mulberry trees 
ready to pluck, and will furnish leaves, silkworm eggs, and frames 
for those willing to raise cocoons for him on shares. He also 
offers to pay the highest price for cocoons delivered at the store 
of Swain & Demarest, and hopes by the next year to take all 
that the neighborhood could produce. A number of persons 
planted mulberr}' trees at this time, and expected to engage in 
raising silkworms. But the factor}' was not a success. A silk 
company, with a capital of one hundred thousand dollars, was 
formed in 1839, but also failed. 

In 1832 the Dayton Lyceum was established, the object of which 
was "the diffusion of knowledge and the promotion of sociability." 
Meetings were to be held once a week ' ' for lectures, communica- 
tions, essaj\s, and discussions of all subjects except theolog}- and 
the politics of the da}-." It was also proposed to collect a cabinet 
of antiquities and minerals, and a librar}-. A discourse was to 
be delivered " at the annual meeting of the society on the 27th of 
August, being the anniversary of the location of the town of 
Dayton." For several winters the Lyceum furnished courses 
of lectures and debates, which were of the highest interest and 
afforded great enjoyment to the people of Dayton. In 1833 the 
library of the Lyceum was kept at the house of Ira Fenn. 

In 1833 the Mechanics' Institute was organized. The first 
secretary was Henry L. Brown, one of the best and most useful 
men who ever lived in Dayton. The object of the institute was 
"moral, literary, and scientific improvement." A library and 
reading-rooms were connected with it, and for many years a 
course of lectures was given each winter. A public address was 
delivered at the Court-house July i, 1833, by Robert C. Schenck, 
in behalf of the Mechanics' Institute, and during its existence 
every citizen of Dayton who had any ability for lecturing was 
called upon for that service. 

At this period there must have been unusual literary interest 
and activity in Dayton, for there were no less than six public 
libraries in existence, as we learn from notices in the newspapers. 
None of them were large, but in the aggregate they reached a 
wide circle of readers. 



1816-1835 i6i 

Charles Soule, afterwards a noted portrait painter, opened a 
store for the sale of engravings and for framing pictures in 1833. 
He also carried on ' ' his old business of sign and ornamental 
painting" at his shop. 

The second election of General Jackson to the Presidency was 
celebrated in Dayton on the 8th of January, 1833, by a barbecue 
on the common west of the basin, now Cooper Park. National 
salutes were fired during the day. Immediately on the arrival 
at noon of a canal-boat with from fift}^ to one hundred citizens 
of Miamisburg, "a hickory tree bearing the American flag, still 
larger and more majestic than that which on a previous occasion 
left a stump" (an evident allusion to the cutting down of the 
Jackson pole in 1832), was erected. A large number of people 
from this and adjacent counties were present on this occasion. 
After the erection of the pole a procession was formed, in front 
of which walked four Revolutionary soldiers bearing liberty-caps 
and two members of the Dayton Hickory Club carrying an 
appropriate banner, -who were followed by another soldier bear- 
ing the American flag. After moving through the principal 
streets, the procession passed into the Court-house, where an 
address was made and resolutions were adopted. From the Court- 
house they proceeded to the common, where an ox was roasted 
whole, of which and other refreshments all were indiscriminately 
invited to partake. The barbecue was followed by some "spirited 
sentiments," after which the procession reformed and marched 
to the center of town, where it dispersed. A barbecue was 
usually an uninviting feast. The outer part of the ox was 
smoked and scorched, and the remainder uncooked, though the 
animal was alwaj-s roasted for many hours. After the feast 
the almost untouched carcass was hauled off by horses, sur- 
rounded by a crowd of boys and dogs, to be disposed of by hoga 
and hounds. 

There were one thousand and one buildings in Dayton in 1833. 
The population was four thousand. January 3, 1834, an ordi- 
nance was passed by Council for the appointment of one or more 
watchmen. They were to wear uniform badges and have the 
same power to call on persons to assist them in arresting of- 
fenders as the marshal had. The marshal and these watchmen 
constituted the police of Dayton. 

Plans for a covered wooden bridge over the Miami River on 
Main Street were advertised for on the 28th of January, 1834. 



162 EARLY DAYTON 

The county commissioners, on June 4, 1835, appropriated six 
hundred dollars toward the building-fund, and the remainder of 
the money was raised by subscription. The bridge was opened 
for travel in 1836. 

The news of the death of Lafayette was received in 1834, and 
commemorative services were held on the 31st of August. A 
procession, composed of the mechanics of the town, carrying 
handsome banners draped in black, and representing their differ- 
ent occupations, the Masonic Fraternity, and the Order of Inde- 
pendent Odd Fellows, formed about eleven o'clock, and marched 
to the Presbyterian church. The exercises were opened with an 
impressive prayer by Rev. E. Allen, after which a beautiful and 
feeling ode, written for the occasion by a young lady of Dayton, 
was sung by the choir. Robert A. Thruston delivered "an 
impassioned and eloquent delineation of the talents of the deceased 
patriot." Then an ode, written for a similar occasion in Cin- 
cinnati by James Hall, was sung by the choir. Solemn music 
by the Cincinnati band accompanied the exercises, which closed 
with a prayer and benediction by Rev. David Winters. The 
committee of arrangements on this occasion was composed of 
the following gentlemen : Thomas Clegg, George Owen, W. L. 
Helfenstein, E. W. Davies, Peter Odlin, John Steele, E. Brown- 
ing, R. A. Thruston, E. Brabham, James Brown, Robert C. 
Schenck, John Anderson, Peter Baer, and C. G. Swain. 



CHAPTER IX 

1836-1840 

Measures Proposed for Improving the Town in 1836— Proceedings of Coun- 
cil— Public Meeting to Sustain Council— Cooper Park — Dayton Business 
Men in 1836 — Educational Convention in 1836— Shinplasters — Thomas 
Morrison — Zooiogical Museum— William Jennison— First Railroad- 
Turnpikes— First Public-School Buildings— Opposition to Public Schools 

— Processions of School Children and Other EflForts to Excite an Inter- 
est in Public Schools — Samuel Forrer Takes Charge of Turnpikes — His 
Biography— Midnight Markets— Cooper Hydraulic— Change of Chan- 
nel of Mad River — First County Fair — Morxis MuUicaulis Excitement 
— Dayton Carpet Manufactory— Number of Buildings Erected in 1839— 
Log Cabin Newspaper— Harrison Convention— Numbers in Attendance 

— Hospitality of Dayton People — Banners Presented, 

In April, 1836, Council appointed a committee, consisting' of 
Messrs. Stone, Smith, and Winters, to effect a loan in behalf 
of the corporation of from one to ten thousand dollars, at a rate 
of interest not exceeding six per cent., and for a period of not 
less than five j^ears, the interest to be paid annually. The 
money so obtained was to be used in improving the streets and 
the appearance of the town. The following proceedings of the 
next meeting of Council describe the proposed improvements : 

"The Common Council of the town of Dayton, at their meet- 
ing April 25, 1836, passed the following resolution : That they 
would appropriate and spend so much money ( provided a loan 
can be obtained) as will make the following improvements, viz.: 
wharfing across the head of the State basin ; improving the 
public commons as requested by D. Z. Cooper, in consideration 
of his releasing a part thereof for the benefit of the corporation, 
provided the balance be improved immediately ; to extend the 
market-house on center market-space to Jefferson Street ; to 
grade the streets and walks throughout the town, and so soon as 
the grade is correctly ascertained, to raise and lower the walks 
in the different wards to the said grade ; to finish the cisterns 
already commenced with lime cement, and to purchase five hun- 
dred more feet of hose for the Fire Department," 

As there was a difference of opinion in respect to the propriety 
of borrowing money and making the above improvements, it was 



164 EARLY DAYTON 

resolved, on motion of the recorder, David Winters, "that all citi- 
zens interested in the above matter be requested to meet at the 
Court-house Wednesday evening next at early candle-lighting, 
and then and there express their approbation or disapprobation 
of the above measure." Peter Aughinbaugh was chairman of 
the town meeting called by Council, and Daniel Roe secretary. 
Addresses were made by Messrs. Robert C. Schenck, Ralph 
P. Lowe, Henry Bacon, and Daniel Roe. There was some oppo- 
sition to the proposed improvements on the ground that they 
were more for ornament than use, and that they would increase 
the taxes, while the advantages would be unequally distributed. 
Council proposed to borrow ten thousand dollars, three thousand 
of which were to be expended on the park and the remainder 
on other improvements. After a full discussion a majority of 
the meeting passed resolutions commending the improvements 
contemplated by Council and the loan by means of which they 
were to be accomplished. They recommended that Council 
slioi;ld apply one-tenth of any amount to be expended during 
the year in filling up the ditch commonly called "Seely's Basin." 

An act of the Legislature, passed February 17, 1808, empow- 
ered Daniel C. Cooper to amend the original plat of Dayton as to 
lots 94, 95, 96, 97, 98, 99, 100, 141, 142, 143, and then set them 
apart as a common for the use of the citizens. To induce the 
citizens to convert the "commons" into a park that would be 
creditable, in December, 1836, David Zeigler Cooper, son of 
Daniel Cooper, executed a deed authorizing the city to lease lots 
94. 95. ^^^ 96' ^"^^ releasing any reversionary interest that might 
accrue to him. It was provided in the deed that the remaining 
ground should be enclosed, planted with trees, and forever kept 
as "a walk" for "the citizens of Dayton and its visitors." It 
was manifestly the intention that the proceeds from the leases 
should be used to keep the park in perfect order. In 1838 the 
"public square," as the park was then called, was prepared for 
and planted with fine forest trees, which the Journal of that day 
says was "a fair beginning for a work which promises to be a 
credit, as well as an ornament, to the town." 

Major Daniel W. Wheelock, the efiicient and public-spirited 
Mayor of Dayton during 1836, 1837, and 1838, suggested many 
of the new improvements, and energetically hastened the com- 
pletion of those begun while he was in ofiice. A number of new 
buildings were erected in 1836-37. Among the most impor- 



1836- 1840 i65 

tant was a handsome brick Catholic church. Thomas Morrison, 
builder, as stated in the Dayton Jottrnal, reported the number of 
buildings put up this year as forty-five of brick and thirty-five 
of frame. 

It may l^e interesting to mention the names of some of the 
business men whose advertisements appear in the Jojirnal at 
tMs period. Numbers of them had been doing business in 
Dayton for many years. M. & G. A. Hatfield, chairmakers; 
T. & W. Parrott, merchants ; John Bidleman, boot- and shoe- 
maker; Swain & Demarcst, produce dealers; Samuel Shoup, 
merchant ; Simon Snyder and Samuel ]\IcPherson, tanners ; 
Thomas Casad, hatmaker ; Thomas Brown, builder; Richard 
Green, shoemaker ; J. Burns, edge-tool manufacturer ; H. Best, 
jeweler ; James, Johnson V. & Henry V. Perrine, merchants ; 
James McDaniel, merchant tailor ; Aughinbaugh & Loomis, 
hardware ; George W. Smith & Son, merchants ; Samuel Dolly, 
coachmaker; E. Edmondson, tanner; Jacob Stutsman, copper- 
smith; Conover & Kincaid, merchants; T. Barrett and R. P. 
Brown, booksellers and bindery ; E. Helfenstein & Co., hardware ; 
Phillips, Green & Co., merchants; C. Koerner, druggist; Henry 
Herrman, merchant; Rench, Harshman & Co., produce dealers; 
D. Z. Peirce and W. B. Stone, grocers; C. & W. F. Spining' 
merchants ; Brown & Hoglen, grocers ; Daniel Roe & Sons, 
druggists; Daniel Keifer, cabinet-maker; -Alexander Swaynie, 
produce dealer; J. Greer & Co., stoves; T. & J. H. Boyer, copper 
and tin shop ; Brown & Peirce, merchants; Van Cleve & Newell, 
druggists; Estabrook & Phelps, grocers; Edwin Smith & Co., 
druggists; Morrison & Arnold, builders; Samuel Brady, mer- 
chant; R. A. Kerfoot, saddler; Abram Darst, grocer; J. O. 
Shoup, merchant. 

This year a daily mail from Washington — through in fifty-six 
hours — was established. 

A memorable convention was held in Dayton in August, 1836, 
in the interest of free schools. A committee of arrangements 
was appointed consisting of E. E. Barney, R. C. Carter, R. C. 
Schenck, George B. Holt, and Milo G. Williams. Delegates 
were present from Cincinnati and seven or eight other Ohio 
towns, and visitors from Belleville, New Jersey, and Detroit, 
Michigan. Rev. E. Allen was elected president, and Daniel 
A. Haynes secretary. The convention remained in session three 
days. Able addresses were made by Rev. W. H. McGuffey, D.D., 



l66 EARI.Y DAYTON 

a man of remarkable ability as a speaker, and afterwards the 
compiler of the famous readers that bore his name, and Dr. Har- 
rison, an eloquent and distinguished professor in the Cincinnati 
Medical College. The discussions took a wide range, and were 
participated in by some of the most distinguished educators in 
the State. What advanced views were held may be learned from 
the resolutions adopted, which favored the establishment of 
normal schools, that teaching might become a profession ; the 
introduction in the schools of the stiidies of geology and ph3^si- 
ology ; and the publication of a periodical to be called the 
Teachers' Magazine. The convention was full}' reported in 
the Dayton Journal. The editors, R. N. and W. F. Comly, 
warmly and ably advocated the cause of public schools, and 
freely opened the columns of the Journal to the discussion of 
the subject. 

The wild speculations which preceded and culminated in 1837 
resulted in a complete prostration of business, from which the 
country did not recover for man}' years. The failure of many 
banks, and the suspension of specie payments by the others, 
made money, and especially silver change, excessively scarce. 
As a substitute for small coin, "shinplasters," or promises to 
pay fifty, twenty-five, or ten cents on demand, printed on ordi- 
nary paper, were issued by merchants, grocers, and others, 
Thomas Morrison, who was an extensive owner of real estate, 
which was a basis for credit, issued a large amount of these 
"shinplasters." It was so easy and tempting to issue money 
which was current to be redeemed in the future, that it is not 
surprising that an amount was put out much beyond the original 
intention. When the time came for redemption, the following 
advertisement in 'Cao. Jojirnal of June 26, 1838, shows the unpleas- 
ant position in which Mr. Morrison was placed : 

"public notice — SHINPLASTERS IN DANGER, 

"Fellow-Citizens : I am compelled to leave town to fulfill 
a contract that I have undertaken — that is, to build a mill at the 
falls of Greenville Creek for G. W. Smith. I leave Dayton at 
this time with regret, because the law prohibiting the circulation 
of small notes or shinplasters is soon to take effect, and I wish to 
satisfy my fellow-citizens that I am not the man under any cir- 
cumstances to take advantage of that law, by which the State 
allows me to act the rascal. No ; it is vain to try to induce me 
to do so. I intend to redeem every note I have put in circulation, 
and that as soon as I return, and will do it with pleasure and 



1836- 1840 167 

satisfaction. I desire my fellow-citizens and all who have confi- 
dence in my word of honor — and I trust there are some who 
believe I will do as I say — not to refuse to take them till my 
return, when every cent shall be paid, with the addition of six 
per cent, interest for every day tlie notes are left unredeemed 
after the ist of July. On my return I will give public notice, 
so that the holders of ray notes may call. It has been an un- 
profitable business, but it shall end honestly." 

In the end Mr. Morrison redeemed in full all the "shinplas- 
ters" he issued. Mr. Morrison came to Dayton at an early 
day, and was for many years the leading contractor and builder 
of the town. His son, David H. Morrison, a skillful civil 
engineer and founder of the Columbia Bridge Works, married 
Harriet, the daughter of Robert J. Skinner, the pioneer news- 
paper publisher and editor. Mary Morrison married Dr. M. 
Garst, and Maria, Daniel Garst. 

A number of citizens assembled on the i6th of September 
at the Court-house for the purpose of establishing a zoolog- 
ical museum. A committee, consisting of John W. Van Cleve, 
Dr. John Steele, William Jennison, and Thomas Brown, was 
appointed to ascertain whether a suitable room could be obtained, 
and funds for paying for it secured. A room was procured at 
the head of the basin, but the place was unsuitable and not 
attractive. The idea of establishing a public museum would 
not have suggested itself to the citizens of Dayton at that 
early date but for the presence here of a verj' accomplished 
naturalist, William Jennison, who had been for a number of 
years engaged in such work in Germany, and being connected 
with foreign societies of naturalists, would be able to procure 
from abroad almost any specimens desired, merely by applying 
for them and paying the cost of transportation. He had a 
number of birds prepared by himself in the best manner, and 
handsomely arranged in glass cases ; and also hundreds of insects 
classified and arranged in scientific order, and affording, by the 
variety of size and color, a most beautiful sight, though "the 
poor fellows were impaled with pins." All these he offered to 
place in a public museum, and to devote part of his time to the 
work of increasing the collection. But the project was soon 
abandoned, and he removed his birds and butterflies to his resi- 
dence, — then a short distance out of town, but now on Linden 
Avenue, within the corporation, — where he had a garden and 
greenhouse, in which he raised fine flowers for sale. He was an 



l68 EARLY DAYTON 

object of curiosity to the people when he went out, net in hand, 
to collect butterflies for his cabinet and natural-history specimens 
to exchange with his friends across the Atlantic. Mr. Jennison 
was an elegant and accomplished man, with the courtly manner 
of a gentleman of the old regime. He spoke English perfectly, 
which was probably due to the fact that his mother wgis an 
Englishwoman of rank, whom his father. Count Jennison, of 
Heidelberg, had married while minister of the Kingdom of Wiir- 
temberg to the Court of St. James. Washington Irving, in a 
letter published in the second volume of his biography, gives 
an interesting account of a visit which he paid in 1822 to Count 
Jennison and his amiable and agreeable family. He describes 
the Count as an elegant and hospitable and highly cultivated 
man, who spoke English as perfectly as an Englishman. 

A meeting was held on the evening of the 18th of November, 
1837, at the Court-house for the purpose of exciting an interest 
in the Mad River & Lake Erie Railroad Company, incorporated 
in 1832 and organized in 1834. Since the election of officers of 
the company nothing further had been done. Jonathan Harsh- 
man, Robert C. Schenck, and Peter Odlin took a prominent part 
in the meeting, and resolutions were passed urging the raising 
of stock and the speedy commencement of the road. The law- 
affording State aid to railroads had recently been passed by the 
Ohio Legislature. 

An act was passed on the 24th of March, 1836, by the Legis- 
lature ' ' to authorize a loan of credit by the State of Ohio to 
railroad companies, and to authorize subscriptions by the State 
to the capital stock of turnpike, canal, and slack-water naviga- 
tion companies." Dayton was one of the first towns to take 
advantage of the provisions of the act guaranteeing the aid of the 
State to works of this description, and before the repeal of 
the law in 1840 it had been the means of putting in the course 
of construction five turnpikes, the aggregate length of the five 
roads being one hundred and forty miles, and other turnpikes 
were in contemplation. To the abundance of gravel, which made 
the construction of turnpikes cheap and easy, are due our excel- 
lent turnpikes leading in every direction to the neighboring 
towns. By 1850 Dayton had fourteen turnpikes. 

The subscription books of the Dayton & Springfield Company 
were opened January 19, 1838, and the contract made on the 12th 
of May. This turnpike, to induce travel through Dayton, was 



1836- 1840 , 169 

built in the same style as the National Road, especially at its 
junction with the latter, and with similar bridges, stone culverts, 
toll-gates, and mile-stones. Comfortable brick taverns were 
erected a few miles apart along the pike. It was a great disap- 
pointment to the people of Dayton that the National Road did 
not pass through here. Strenuous efforts were made to induce 
Congress to locate the road through Dayton, and, having failed, 
equally strenuous efforts were made to have the route changed. 
Many familiar names occur in connectiorl with the turnpikes 
— Peter Odlin, R. C. Schenck, Horace Pease, 11. G. Phillips, 
Joseph Barnett, Thomas Brown, Thomas Dover, J. W. Van 
Cleve, J. H. Crane, Jonathan Harshman, John Kneisley, V. 
Winters, Abram Darst, and David Z. Peirce. 

On May 7, 1838, a public meeting was called at the Court-house 
to discuss the erection of public school-houses, and how much 
money should be raised by taxation for the purpose. Strenuous 
opposition was made to the levy of the tax by a few wealthy 
citizens; but, after a heated discussion, the measure was carried 
by a large majority. The amount to be raised was six thousand 
dollars, and two school-houses — one in the eastern and one in 
the western part of the town — were to be built. The opposition 
did not end with the meeting. It was believed that it could not 
be proved that the law had been complied with in giving notice 
of the meeting. This had been anticipated by ]\Ir. E. E. Barney, 
who had taken the precaution to post the notices in person, and, 
accompanied by a friend, had visited them from time to time to 
see that they were not removed. The houses — considered models 
in that day — were built. The majority of the children attended 
private schools, and all sorts of efforts were made by enlightened 
citizens to increase the popularity of the public schools. 

On the Fourth of July, 1838, INIr. Elder's school paraded on Main 
Street, escorted by the Blues and Grays, — the militia companies 
of the town, — and then gave a concert at the jNIethodist church. 
At a public meeting in 1839 it was resolved that the Fourth of 
July should be celebrated by a procession of the public, private, 
and Sunday schools of the town, with exercises at Cooper Park 
and a picnic-dinner for the children. Children and teachers 
marched on one side of the street, and parents and citizens on the 
other. In 1856 the school year closed with a procession and pic- 
nic across the river. The City Council and School Board headed 
the procession. Each school carried a beautiful silk banner. 



170 EARLY DAYTON 

Two brass bands enlivened the procession. At the grove there 
were declamations and songs, an address by the president of the 
board, and delivery of diplomas to High School graduates. In 
1859 there was a similar procession and picnic. 

In 1839 Mr. Samuel Forrer, at the earnest solicitation of the 
directors, consented to take charge of the turnpikes as engineer 
and general superintendent. The roads placed under his super- 
vision were the Dayton & Lebanon, Dayton & Springfield, and 
the Great Miami turnpikes. The Ohio Legislature, for partisan 
reasons, had just excluded Mr. Forrer from the Canal Board, thus 
depriving the State of a faithful and competent ofiicer. But as 
Dayton could now secure the constant aid of his invaluable 
talents and experience in the various public improvements in 
which the citizens were interested, and which, although of a 
local character, deeply concerned a large proportion of the 
people, there were some among us, the Journal says, selfish 
enough not to regret the change. For some years the county 
commissioners have had the supervision of the turnpikes. The 
toll-gates, which used to be encountered every few miles along 
the road, have been abolished by a law permitting the purchase 
of the pikes by the county from the companies. 

Samuel Forrer was reappointed in the spring of 1837, by the 
Board of Public Works, principal engineer on the lines of the 
Wabash and Erie and Miami canals. This appointment, as 
the proper administration of the canal involved the prosperity of 
Dayton, was a matter of rejoicing here. A number of Dayton 
young men went out with Mr. Forrer to learn civil engineering. 
Howe's "Historical Collections of Ohio" contains, in the chap- 
ter on "Pioneer Engineers of Ohio," by Colonel Charles 
Whittlesey, the following interesting biographical sketch of 
Mr. Forrer : 

"No engineer in Ohio spent as many years in the service of 
the State as did Mr. Forrer. He came from Pennsylvania in 
1818, and in 1819 was deputy survej^or of Hamilton County, 
Ohio. In 1820 Mr. William Steele, a very enterprising citizen of 
Cincinnati, Ohio, employed Mr. Forrer at his own expense to 
ascertain the elevation of the Sandusky and Scioto summit 
above Lake Erie. His report was sent to the Legislature by Gov- 
ernor Brown. This was the favorite route [for the Erie Canal], 
the shortest, lowest summit, and passed through a very rich 
country. The great question was a supply of water. It would 



1836- 1S40 171 

have been located, and in fact was in part, when in the summer 
and fall of 1823 it was found by Judge D. S. Bates to be wholly 
inadequate. Of twenty-three engineers and assistants eight died 
of local diseases within six years. Mr. Forrer was the only one 
able to keep the field permanently and use the instruments in 
1823. When Judge Bates needed their only level, Mr. Forrer in- 
vented and constructed one that would now be a curiosity among 
engineers. He named it the Pioneer. It was in form of a 
round bar of wrought iron, with a cross like a capital T. The 
top of the letter was a flat bar welded at right angles, to which a 
telescope was made fast by solder, on which was a spirit-level. 
There was a projection drawn out from the cross-bar at right 
angles to it, which rested upon a circular plate of the tripod. 
By means of thumb-screws and reversals, the round bar acting 
as a pendulum, a rude horizontal plane was obtained, which was 
of value at short range. 

"Mr. Forrer was not quite medium height, but well formed 
and very active. He was a cheerful and pleasant companion. 
Judge Bates and the canal commissioners relied upon his skill 
under their instructions to test the water question in 1823. He 
ran a line for a feeder from the Sandusky summit westerly and 
north of the watershed, taking up the waters of the Auglaize 
and heads of the Miami. Fven with the addition the supply 
was inadequate. Until his death in 1874 Mr. Forrer was nearly 
all the time in the employ of the State as engineer, canal 
commissioner, or member of the Board of Public Works. He 
was not only popular, but scrupulously honest and industri- 
ous. His life-long friends regarded his death as a personal 
loss greater than that of a faithful public ofiicer. He was too 
unobtrusive to make personal enemies, not neglecting his duties, 
as a citizen zealous but just. He died at Dayton, Ohio, at 
10 A.M., March 25, 1874, from the exhaustion of his physical 
powers, without pain. Like his life he passed away in peace at 
the age of eighty, his mind clear and conscious of the approach- 
ing end." 

In the winter of 1838 the experiment was tried of having 
market on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday afternoons, and in 
the early morning on the other three days. But the people soon 
returned to what Curwen calls "our midnight markets," the 
bell ringing at four o'clock in the depth of winter, and the people 
hurrying at the first tap to the market-house, as a short delay 



172 EARLY DAYTON 

Avould deprive them of their favorite cut of meat or first choice 
of vegetables and force them to fill their baskets with rejected 
articles. As in New York two hundred years ago, "such was 
the strife among the thrifty townsfolk to be on hand at the open- 
ing of the market, and thereb}- get the pick of the goods, that 
long before noon the bulk of the business was done." This 
custom of market before da3-break, in spite of its discomfort, 
continued for manj- years. 

In spite of the hard times, Da3'ton was prosperous in 1S3S. 
The following improvements were made that year : Council 
expended about six thousand dollars in improving and beantif\'- 
ing the town ; the streets and pavements were graveled, guttered, 
and macadamized for the first time, though the work had been 
begun three years before ; eiglitN'-nine buildings, fift3'-six of 
brick and thirt3--three of frame, were erected, and more would 
have been put wp if it had been possible to obtain sufficient brick 
and timber. The principal buildings erected were two 1)rick dis- 
trict school-houses, the first that were biiilt in Dayton, and the 
Third Street Presbyterian Church. This was also of brick, 
sevent3'-two by fift3'-two feet in size, " of approved architectural 
beaut3'," and cost fifteen thousand dollars. The dwellings in 
town were all occupied to their fullest capacity, and there were 
none for rent or for sale. 

The most valuable improvement made this 3-ear was the 
Cooper H3'draulic, constructed b3' Edward W. Davies and 
Alexander Grimes, agents of the Cooper estate. "It is an 
enterprise," said \X\^ Journal, "for the projection and comple- 
tion of which all who have the prosperity of Dayton at heart 
will cheerfulh- accord to the gentlemen above named due credit 
for their public spirit." The luxlraulic was seven hundred feet 
long and fifty feet wide, with twelve feet head, and was built 
between Third and Fifth streets, west of Wyandotte Street. "A 
bend in Mad River at the northeast corner of the town extended 
south from the aqueduct to First Street, and along that street, 
crossing what is now Keowee and IMeigs Street, thence in a 
northwest direction, crossing Ta3'lor Street south of jNIonument 
Avenue, and on and across JNIonument Avenue to and uniting 
with the ^liami River at a point about four hundred feet south of 
the present mouth of ^lad River." In 1840 ]Mr. Davies and Mr. 
Grimes, as a further improvement to the Cooper estate, "caiised 
a .survey to be made for a new channel for INIad River from the 




From a photograph by BowerBox. 

YOUNG men's christian ASSOCIATION BUILDING. 



1836- 1840 173 

aqueduct straight to the Miami River." It was finished in 
the winter of 1842. Originally a bayou extended up Mad River 
from the Miami to Keowee Street. 

Dayton Township was divided March 12, 1839, into two election 
precincts, the first precinct voting at the Court-house and the 
second at Houk's Tavern on Market Street. 

The Montgomery County Agricultural Society had been organ- 
ized vSeptember 11, 1838, with Colonel Henry Protzman president, 
and Charles Anderson secretary-. The first Montgomeiy County 
Agricultural Fair was held in Dayton at Swaynie's Hotel, at 
the head of the basin, October 17 and 18, 1839. At eleven in 
the morning on the 17th a procession of about three hundred 
persons interested in the society marched, headed by a band 
of music, through the principal streets to the hotel, where the 
anniversary address was delivered by D. A. Haynes. The 
display of horses, cattle, and farm products was fine. The com- 
mittee on silk, Daniel Roe, C. S. Br3-ant, John Edgar, Peter 
Aughinbaugh, Charles G. Swain, W. B. Stone, and R. N. 
Comly, awarded a premium, a silver cup worth ten dollars, for 
the greatest amount of silk produced from the smallest number 
of multicaidis leaves. Other valuable premiums were awarded 
by the society, but the cup was offered by members of the Silk 
Company. 

The mention of the Morus vuilticaulis tree recalls to memory- 
one of those strange manias that occasionally sweep over the 
country. The tree had recently been introduced from China, 
was of rapid gro\\i;h, and furnished abundant food for silk- 
worms. It was believed that the cultivation of this tree, and 
the use of its leaves to feed silkworms, would make the United 
States the great silk-producing country of the world. The 
most extravagant price was paid for young trees, and thousands 
of acres were planted. Wide-spread ruin was the result, and 
hundreds of persons lost their all in this wild speculation. 

Swaynie's Hotel, where the first Montgomery' County Agri- 
cultural Fair was held, was finished in April, 1839. It was 
considered a first-class house, and regarded with pride by the 
people of Dayton. All the carpets in the hotel were manufac- 
tured b}- the Dayton Carpet Company, and were of such superior 
texture, designs, and colors that guests of the house could with 
difiicultj' be convinced that they were made west of the Alle- 
ghany Mountains. The Paj-ton carpets were sold in the stores 



174 EARLY DAYTON 

at Cincinnati and other Western towns as imported carpets, and 
purchasers did not discover the deception. 

The number of buildings erected in Dayton in 1839, ^^ counted 
by Thomas Morrison, was one hundred and sixty-four of brick, 
thirt3'-six of wood, and twenty-six intended for business houses. 
A new First Presbyterian Church took the place of the old one 
built in 1817. A Baptist church was also built on the corner 
of Fourth and Jefferson streets, forty by sixty feet in size and 
seventy-five feet in height. The front presented a very neat 
specimen of the Grecian Doric architecture. The cost of the 
whole, including the lot, was six thousand dollars. A number 
of improvements were made along the hydraulic. Mr. Thomas 
Brown, after particular inquir}' made at the request of the 
Journal, reported that four million five hundred thousand bricks 
were made in Dayton during 1S39. The number on hand he 
computed at five hundred thousand, which gave four millions as 
the number of bricks laid during the year. 

In Februar}', 1839, the prospectus of the Log Cabin newspaper, 
publi-shed in Dayton by R. N. and W. F. Comly, appeared. The 
Log Cabiii was continued during the Harrison campaign, and 
after enough subscribers were obtained to pay expenses, was gra- 
tuitously distributed as a campaign document. A large picture 
of a log cabin, with a barrel of hard cider at the door, occupied 
the first page of the paper. The illustrations were drawn and 
engraved b}' John W. Van Cleve. The price of the paper was 
fifty cents for thirteen numbers. Two files of the Log Cabin, 
which attained a national reputation, are on the shelves of the 
Dayton Public Library-. 

The population of Daj^ton was now six thousand and sixty- 
four. 

Never in the history of the Northwest has there been a more 
exciting Presidential campaign than that which preceded the 
election of General W. H. Harrison, and nowhere was the enthusi- 
asm for the hero of Tippecanoe greater than in Dayton. A remark- 
able Harrison convention was held here on the date of Perry's 
victory on Lake Erie, and tradition has preserved such extrava- 
gant accounts of the number present, the beaut}^ of the emblems 
and decorations displayed, and the hospitality of the citizens 
and neighboring farmers, that the following prophecy with which 
the Journal began its account of the celebration may almost be 
said to have been literally fulfilled : " Memorable and ever to be 



1836- 1840 175 

remembered as ivS the glorious triumph achieved by the immortal 
Perry on the loth of September, 1813, scarcely less conspicuous 
on the page of history will stand the noble commemoration of 
the event which has just passed before us." Innumerable flags 
and Tippecanoe banners were stretched across the streets from 
roofs of stores and factories, or floated from private residences and 
from poles and trees. People began to arrive several days before 
the convention, and on the 9th crowds of carriages, wagons, and 
horsemen streamed into town. About six o'clock the Cincinnati 
delegation came in by the Centerville road. They were escorted 
from the edge of town by the Dayton Grays, Butler Guards, Day- 
ton military band, and a number of citizens in carriages and on 
horseback. The procession of delegates was headed by eleven 
stage-coaches in line, with banners and music, followed by a 
long line of wagons and carriages. Each coach was enthusi- 
astically cheered as it passed the crowds which thronged the 
streets, and the cheers were responded to by occupants of the 
coaches. Twelve canal-boats full of men arrived on the loth, 
and every road which led to town poured in its thousands early 
in the morning. 

General Harrison came as far as Jonathan Harshman's, five 
miles from town, on the 9th and passed the night there. Early 
in the morning his escort, which had been encamped at Fairview, 
marched to Mr. Harshman's and halted there till seven o'clock, 
when it got in motion under command of Joseph Barnett, of 
Dayton, and other marshals from Clark County. A procession 
from town, five miles long, under direction of Charles Anderson, 
chief marshal, met the General and his escort at the junction of 
the Troy and Springfield roads. The battalion of militia, com- 
manded by Captain Bomberger, of the Dayton Grays, and con- 
sisting of the Grays and Washington Artillery, of Dayton ; the 
Citizens' Guards, from Cincinnati ; Butler Guards, of Hamilton, 
and Piqua Light Infantr}^ were formed in a hollow square, and 
General Harrison, mounted on a white horse, his staff", and Gov- 
ernor Metcalf and staff, of Kentucky, were placed in the center. 
"Every foot of the road between town and the place where 
General Harrison was to meet the Dayton escort was literally 
choked up with people." 

The immense procession, carrying banners and flags, and 
accompanied by canoes, log cabins furnished in pioneer style, 
and trappers' lodges, all on wheels, and filled with men, girls, and 



176 EARLY DAYTON 

boys, the latter dressed in hunting-shirts and bhie cai)S, made a 
magnificent display. One of the wagons contained a live wolf 
enveloped in a sheepskin, representing the "hypocritical profes- 
sions" of the opponents of the Whigs. All sorts of designs 
were carried by the delegations. One of the most striking was 
an immense ball, representing the Harrison States, which was 
rolled through the streets. The length of the procession was about 
two miles. Carriages were usually three abreast, and there were 
more than one thousand in line. The day was bright and beau- 
tiful, and the wildest enthusiasm swayed the mighty mass of 
people who formed the most imposing part of "this grandest 
spectacle of time," as Colonel Todd, an eye-witness, termed the 
procession. The following description of the scene, quoted by 
Curwen from a contemporary new.spaper, partakes of the excite- 
ment and extravagance of the occasion : 

" The huzzas from gray-headed patriots, as the banners borne 
in the procession' passed their dwellings, or the balconies where 
the}' had stationed themselves ; the smiles and blessings and 
waving kerchiefs of the thousands of fair women, who filled the 
front windows of every house ; the loud and heartfelt acknowl- 
edgments of their marked courtesy and generous hospitalitj' by 
the different delegations, sometimes rising the same instant from 
the whole line ; the glimpses at every turn of the eye of the flut- 
tering folds of .some one or more of the six hundred and forty- 
four flags which di.splayed their glorious stars and stripes from 
the tops of the principal houses of every street, the soul-stirring 
music, the smiling heavens, the ever-gleaming banners, the 
emblems and mottoes, added to the intensity of the excitement. 
Every eminence, housetop, and window was thronged with eager 
spectators, whose acclamations seemed to rend the heavens. 
Second Street at that time led through a jn-airie, and the 
bystanders, by a metaphor, the sublimity of which few but 
Westerners can appreciate, likened the excitement around them 
to a might}'^ sea of fire sweeping over its surface, 'gathering, and 
heaving, and rolling upwards, and yet higher, till its flames 
licked the stars and fired the whole heavens.'" 

After marching through the principal streets the procession 
was disbanded by General Harrison at the National Hotel on 
Third Street. At one o'clock the procession was reformed and 
moved to the stand erected for the speeches "upon a spacious 
plain" east of Front Sti'eet and north of Third. INIr. Samuel 



1836- 1840 177 

Forrer, an experienced civil engineer, made an estimate of the 
space occupied by this meeting and of the number present at it. 
He says : "An exact measurement of the lines gave for one side 
of the square (oblong) one hundred and thirty j-ards and the 
other one hundred and fifty yards, including an area of nineteen 
thousand five hundred square yards, which, multii^lied by four, 
would give vSeventy-eight thousand. Let no one who was 
present be startled at this result or reject this estimate till he 
compares the data assumed with the facts presented to his own 
view while on the ground. It is easy for any one to satisfy him- 
self that six, or even a greater number of individuals, may stand 
on a square yard of ground. Four is the number assumed in 
the present instance ; the area measured is less than four and 
one-half acres. Every farmer who noticed the ground could 
readily perceive that a much larger space was covered with 
people, though not so closely as that portion measured. All will 
admit that an oblong square of one hundred and thirty yards by 
one hundred and fifty did not at any time during the first hour 
include near all that were on the ea.st side of the canal. The 
time of observation was the commencement of General Harri- 
son's speech. Before making this jjarticular estimate I had 
made one by comparing this assemblage with my recollection of 
the 25th of February convention at Columbus, and came to the 
conclusion that it was at least four times as great as that. ' ' Two 
other competent engineers measured the ground, and the lowest 
estimate of the number of people at the meeting was seventy- 
eight thousand, and as thousands were still in town it was 
estimated that as many as one hundred thousand were here 
on the loth of September. 

Places of entertainment were assigned delegates by the com- 
mittee appointed for that purpose, but it was also announced in 
the JoHt'nal that no one need hesitate "to enter any hou.se for 
dinner where he may see a flag flying. Every Whig's latch- 
string will be out, and the flag will signify as much to all who 
are a hungry or athirst." A public table, where dinner was 
furnished, as at the private houses, without charge, was also 
announced as follows by the Journal: "We wish to give our 
visitors log-cabin fare and plenty of it, and we want our friends 
in the country to help us." A committee was appointed to take 
charge of the baskets of the farmers, who responded liberally 
to this appeal. 



178 EARLY DAYTON 

In early times, when hotel and boarding-house accommodations 
in Dayton were very limited, it was the custom, whenever there 
■was a political or religious convention, or any other large public 
meeting here, for the citizens to freely entertain the delegates at 
their homes. At night straw-beds were laid in rows, a narrow 
path between each row, on the floors of rooms and halls in both 
stories of dwellings, and in this way accommodation was fur- 
nivShed for many guests. The making of the ticks for these beds 
before the days of sewing-machines, required many days of 
labor, often principally done by the hostess. As late as 1853, 
when the first State fair was held in Dayton, public-spirited 
citizens who could afford the expense exercised this generous 
but somewhat primitive hospitality. When a meeting was of a 
religious character, the different denominations assisted in enter- 
taining the guests. During the 1840 convention the hot dinner, 
which was served if possible on such occasions, was supple- 
mented by large quantities of cold roast and boiled meats, 
poultry, cakes, pies, and bread that had been prepared before- 
hand. A few wealthy housekeepers employed men cooks and 
other additional assistance during the convention. But there 
were no caterers or confectioners in those days, and good domes- 
tic help was rare, so that a great part of the labor of preparing 
for their hungry crowd of guests was performed by Dayton ladies 
with their own hands. 

All the houses in Dayton occupied by Whigs were crowded to 
their fullest capacity during the Harrison convention, and again 
at the Clay convention in 1842. One family, according to a 
letter from its mistress written at the time, entertained three 
hundred persons at dinner one day in 1842, and the same night 
lodged nearly one hundred guests. Thirty Kentuckians left that 
afternoon, or there would have been over one hundred lodgers. 
The writer states that the houses of all her friends and relatives 
were as crowded as her own, and says that this lavish hospitality 
was a repetition of what occurred in 1840. The letter contains 
an interesting description of a morning reception for ladies 
during the convention of 1842 at the residence of Mr. J. D. 
Phillips, where Mr. Clay was staying. A crowd of women of 
all ranks and conditions — some in silk and some in calico — were 
present. Mr. Clay shook hands with them all, afterwards mak- 
ing a complimentary little speech, saying, among other graceful 
things, that the soft touch of the ladies' hands had healed his 



1836- 1840 179 

fingers, bruised by the rough grasp of the men, whom he had 
received the day before. 

Among other interesting occurrences during the Harrison con- 
vention was the presentation, on the 9th of September, of a 
beautiful banner to the Tippecanoe Club of the town by the 
married ladies of Dayton. The banner was accompanied by an 
eloquent address written for the occasion by Mrs. D. K. Este, 
and was presented in the name of the ladies to the club, who 
were drawn up in front of the residence of Mr. J. D. Phillips, by 
Judge J. H. Crane. It was decorated on one side with an em- 
broidered wreath, with a view of General Harrison's house in 
the center, and on the other side with a painting of Perry's 
victory on lyake Erie, executed by Charles Soule ' ' with the skill 
and taste for which he is so distinguished." 

On the nth of September the 3^oung ladies of Dayton pre- 
sented a banner, wrought by their own hands, to General 
Harrison. Daniel A. Haynes made the presentation speech. 
The convention was addressed by many noted men. General 
Harrison was a forcible speaker, and his voice, while not sonor- 
ous, was clear and penetrating, and reached the utmost limits of 
the immense crowd. Governor Metcalfe, of Kentucky, was a 
favorite with the people. A stonemason in early life, he was called 
" Stone- Hammer " to indicate the crushing blows inflicted by his 
logic and his sarcasm. The inimitable Thomas Corwin held his 
audience spellbound with his eloquence and humor, and R. C. 
Schenck added greatly to his reputation by his incisive and witty 
speeches. Joseph H. Crane, R, S. Hart, and other Daytonians 
spoke. 



DAYTON FROM 1840 TO 1896 



181 



CHAPTER X 

DAYTON FROM 1840 TO 1896 

The Beginning of "the Forties" — Distinguished Visitors— Schools— Oregon 
— West Dayton — Banks — Police Department— New Jail and Court-House 
— Cemeteries — Dayton Bar — General Robert C. Schenck — Clement L. 
Vallandighani — Thomas Brown — Prominent Physicians — Public Library 
—Churches— Floods— Cholera— The Mexican War— First Telegraph Mes- 
sage — Gas and Electric Ligh t — Rai 1 roads — Street - Railroads — Fire Depart- 
ment—Water-Works—Dayton Orphan Asylum — Young Men's Christian 
Association — Woman's Christian Association— Y'oung Women's League 
— St. Elizabeth Hospital — Protestant Deaconess Hospital — Musical Soci- 
eties — Literary Clubs — Improvements — Manufacturing and Mercantile 
Interests — Natural Gas — Newspapers — Periodicals — Davi d Stout — Eben- 
ezer Thresher — Valentine Winters — FrederickGebhart — Robert W.Steele. 

By the beginning of "the forties" many of the toilers who 
had made the early history of Dayton slept in the little green 
graveyard on Fifth Street. There were a few left — old men and 
women who told the fireside tales, or watched with quiet wonder 
the enterprises of the new generation, treading with careful steps 
the newly made streets and pavements, or venturing out on the 
smooth roads, with bridges, toll-gates, and taverns, that were 
being built in all directions. 

This bright, hospitable little town seems to have had some 
distinguished visitors. In 1842 it was enlivened by another 
convention and honored by the presence of the great Clay. 
Again all were made welcome. Receptions, banquets, banner 
presentations, and speeches were the order of the day. In the 
autumn of 1843 John Quincj^ Adams passed through Dayton on 
his way to Cincinnati. 

The early settlers had ever been anxious to secure for their 
children the advantages of civilization which they had willingly 
abandoned for themselves, and now the public schools, under the 
care of a faithful board of directors, were getting a foothold in 
spite of hard times, for in 1842 four schools were opened, — two in 
houses built for them in 1837 and two in rented rooms, — but 
were thriftily closed before the end of the second quarter to avoid 
debt ; and it was not until 1849 that the full school year was 

183 



lS4 DAYTON FROM 184O TO 1896 

reached. Biit there was no lack of fine private schools. Milo G. 
Williams took charge of the Dayton Academy in 1844, and 
taught there until 1850 ; and in 1845 Cooper Female Seminary 
was opened, in charge of E. E. Barney, and at once became 
known throughout Ohio, by reason of the strong personality, 
magnetism, and culture of Mr. Barney, as an attractive and 
scholarl}^ institution — qualities which also distinguished it 
vmder the management of Miss Cox, whose name is held in 
thankful remembrance by many of the brightest women of Day- 
ton and other Ohio cities. 

The Roman Catholic Church in 1847 added St. Joseph's to its 
parochial schools, and in 1849 St. Mary's Institute. 

In the spring of 1850 the Central High School of Dayton was 
opened. In the fall it was located in the old acadeni}- building, 
where it remained until 1857, when a new building was put up 
for it on the same ground — on the southwest corner of Fourth 
and Wilkinson streets, where the Central District School now 
stands. James Campbell, who was afterwards superintendent of 
schools, and who was a dear lover of books, served as princi- 
pal for eight years. Miss Mary G. Dickson, upon whom much 
practical work must have fallen ; James Turpin, whose name 
stood for music in Dayton ; and, later, dear old Jean Bartholo- 
mew, genial, easy, and far from a fiery Frenchman, completed 
the first short list of teachers, whose names, "like a waft from 
the gracious spring," take back to youth many staid and sober 
men and women of to-day. Since then the roll of teachers and 
pupils has lengthened and the curriculum broadened, but the 
same spirit of zeal, energ}-, and entlnisiasm rules in the new 
High School building, occupied since 1892, and named in honor 
of one of the best friends of the schools — Robert W. Steele. The 
new building is situated on the southeast corner of Main Street 
and Monument Avenue, and is one of the finest in the country, 
having cost over a quarter of a million dollars. 

A normal school was opened in the autumn of 1869 for the 
higher education and training of teachers. The free night 
schools were established in 1877. A manual-training school was 
opened January 2, 1896, in the Central District School building. 

There are now nineteen district vSchools, with twenty-nine 
buildings conveniently located in the various parts of the city. 
Many of these buildings are large, handsome in appearance, and 
well equipped with modern improvements. 



DAYTON FROM 1840 TO 1896 185 

In 1845 Dayton began to spread itself. That part of the city 
called ' ' Oregon ' ' was platted ; also, about the same time, the 
part lying west, between Wolf Creek and the Germantown pike, 
which was called "Miami City," now "West Dayton." The 
common from 1845 to 1S55 was the unenclosed ground west of 
Ludlow Street to the river and south of the old graveyard. 

The warfare of President Andrew Jackson vipon the United 
States Bank and the refusal of the Ohio Legislature to renew its 
charter compelled the closing, on the 27th day of January, 1843, 
of one of the soundest banks in the country — the old Dayton 
Bank. Dayton remained without banking facilities for more 
than two years. In 1845 two strong, conservative banks were 
started — the Dayton Bank and the Bank of Dayton. Fifty 
years of fair business prosperity, with the advantages of the 
banking law of 1863, have since given us a number of reliable 
and successful banks. 

In 1841 an ordinance was passed providing that for the protec- 
tion of the city two constables should be elected each year in 
addition to the marshal and deputy. It would seem that Dayton 
was once a very good little city, but in 1850 sixty men were 
added to this body. That Dayton, as a certain small boy said of 
himself, "grew bigger and bigger and badder and badder," is in- 
dicated by the organization in 1873 of the metropolitan police 
force, with a chief, two lieutenants, twenty-six patrolmen, three 
roundsmen, and three turnkeys, the arrangement being similar to 
that now in force. The city had no prison before 1858, its few 
offenders being confined in the county jail. Then an old engine- 
house on Main Street, between Fifth and Sixth, was fitted with cells 
and so used. In 1872 the United Brethren church, near the corner 
of Sixth and Logan streets, was bought and remodeled for a city 
prison. In 1875 the county commissioners vacated the stone jail 
on Main Street, and it has since then been used as a work-house. 

The old Court-house, on the northwest corner of Main and 
Third streets, was completed in 1850. "An exceptionally fine 
reproduction of Grecian architecture, it was at the time of its 
erection the finest building in the State, and is still regarded as 
one of the notable buildings of the cit\'." The new Court-house 
on Main Street, north of the old one, was completed in 1884. 

It was decided in the spring of 1869 that a new jail was needed 
for the county. It was placed west of the Court-house, on Third 
Street, and completed in February, 1874. 



l86 DAYTON FROM 1S40 TO 1896 

John W. Van Cleve, of wlioni a biographical sketch has been 
given in a previous chapter, had a very tender feeling for this 
corner of the earth, which his father had helped to hew out of the 
wilderness. He was one of those who "call ever}- bush my 
cousin." Original in character, odd in appearance, the jolly 
band of children who followed his burly figure through many 
holiday excursions grew wiser, happier, and healthier. Men 
and women found in him an intelligent, cultivated, and agreeable 
companion, and a very true and loyal friend. As a citizen he 
was advanced, enterprising, and of unbending integrity. As 
previously stated, to him more than to any other we are indebted 
for our beautiful Woodland Cemeterj\ He made the suggestion 
of a rural cemetery, and from the organization of the Woodland 
Cemetery Association, in 1842, to the time of his death, in 1858, 
served as its president and gave to its affairs an amount of labor 
and watchful supervision which money could not have purchased. 
In June, 1843, the cemetery was opened, being the third rural 
cemetery of any importance established in the United States. 
Robert W. Steele became the president iipon the death of INIr. Van 
Cleve, and served with the same unselfish sagacity tmtil his 
death in 1891. Since the death of Mr. Steele, Jonathan H. Win- 
ters has been the president of the association. 

The ground for St. Henry's Cemetery was purchased b}' Arch- 
bishop Purcell and used as a burial-place by the Roman Catholics 
tintil 1872, when land was purchased for Calvary Cemetery, two 
and a half miles south of the city, on a commanding bluff", with 
a wide outlook over the neighboring hills, vallej'S, and river. 

The Hebrew Congregation purchased an acre on Brown Street 
in 1 85 1, which is no longer in use, a new cemetery having been 
located near Calvary on the bluffs. 

The first member of the Dayton bar, Judge Crane, with his 
well-trained mind, legal learning, courteous and commanding 
bearing, simple life, and kind and helpful friendliness, had 
unconsciously done much to mold the character and ambitions 
of the \-oung lawyers who were his companions and successors, 
so that the spirit of integrity came to be a characteristic of the 
early Dayton bar. Of the members of this early bar, Charles 
Anderson became Governor of Ohio, four were judges, two 
members of Congress, and ten members of the Ohio Legislature. 
Among the later members Judge Haynes is perhaps the oldest 
and most respected. John A. McMahon, who represented th& 



DAYTON FROM 184O TO 1 896 1 87 

Third Ohio District in Congress for three terms, and Lewis 
B. Gunckel, who served in Congress and other political capac- 
ities, and whose services in connection with the location of the 
Soldiers' Home in Dayton and its management are especially 
appreciated, stand at the head of the profession at present. 

If "the baton of a marechal is hidden in every soldier's knap- 
sack," there must have been much in the saddle-bags which 
young Robert C. Schenck brought to Dayton in 183 1 of which 
even he had no knowledge, for his mitsings as he followed the 
narrow trail through the quiet wood were only of the fortune he 
must make and of how he would some day write his name beside 
those of Crane, Holt, Anderson, and Thruston. The youth was 
not ill equipped — with a nature which time showed to be strong 
and deep, unlimited energy, a brain full of wit, and a mind orig- 
inal and logical, stored and trained by six years at Oxford, Ohio, 
where he had graduated first in his class, and in the ofiice of one 
of the most distinguished legal practitioners of Ohio — Thomas 
Corwin, of Lebanon. The saddle-bags contained one very 
tangible treasure in the sealed letter from Mr. Corwin to Judge 
Crane — the "open sesame" to needed opportunity, for when the 
Judge had read it and taken a keen, quiet look at the slim, pale- 
faced, pale-haired young man, he invited him to become his 
partner. So, instead of waiting and hoping for a client, he had 
for the next three years the care of one of the largest practices in 
Ohio, Judge Crane having been called to Washington soon after. 

In politics Mr. Schenck was an ardent Whig. He was a capti- 
vating speaker, and did yeoman service in the Harrison campaign. 
In 1841 he was elected to the Ohio Legislature, from which he 
and other Whig members resigned in order to defeat the Demo- 
cratic "gerrymander bill." The next year he was rettirned to 
the Legislature. In 1843 Mr. Schenck was elected to represent 
this district in Congress, where he spent eight active years and 
was ranked among the foremost men of his party. In 185 1 he was 
appointed United States Minister to Brazil. Having performed 
some important diplomatic services, he returned to Dayton in 1S56. 

Robert C. vSchenck was said by Lincoln to have been the first 
man who in a public address named him for the Presidency. 

When "with a voice that shook the land, the guns of Sum- 
ter spoke," Mr. Schenck offered his services to the Government 
and was made a brigadier-general. He commanded a brigade at 
the battle of Bull Run, and did good service by his "gallantry 



iSS DAYTON PROM 1S4O TO 1896 

in action and coolness and discretion in retreat." In the second 
battle of Bull Run he was shot in the wrist while urging his 
men on with uplifted sword. While suffering from this wound 
he received the commission of major-general. Still unfit for 
active service, he was given command of the Middle District, 
where he filled a difiicult place with sagacity and skill. Being 
again elected to Congress in his old Third District, in 1S63, he 
resigned his commission in the army. It has been said that " a 
history of the course of General Schenck in the Thirt3'-ninth 
and Fortieth Congresses would be a complete history of the 
military legislation of the countrj^ through the most eventful 
years of the War to its close." 

Appointed by General Grant Minister to Great Britain in 1871, 
he represented the United States at the Court of St. James for 
five years. During this period he was also a member of the Joint 
High Commission providing for the Geneva Conference. And 
to the zeal and abilit}^ tact and experience, of Robert C. Schenck 
America is very much indebted for that peaceful settlement. 
This was the crowning achievement in the life of the old 
statesman. 

General Schenck was ever a fearless fighter, and while he was 
a man with many lo3'al friends, his extremely frank and caustic 
speech had made bitter enemies, who were able to darken some- 
what, by annoying and unfounded charges, the last da3-s of a 
man who had for more than forty years put the interests of his 
country before his own, and used in her service talents and ener- 
gies which, applied to his chosen profession, would undoubtedly 
have brought him fortune, friends, and fame. 

It seems well to tell the story of General Schenck's life at some 
length, not because it is full of interest, as it is, — not because he 
served his country well, as he did, — but because he belonged to 
Dayton — was her most distinguished citizen : his fame was hers ; 
he loved the place, cast his first and last vote at her polls, and 
now sleeps on one of her sunny hillsides with the companions of 
his youth. 

To the older men of Daj^ton there are few names that bring 
more stirring memories than that of Clement L. Vallandigham, 
who came to Dayton in 1847, — ^ lawyer by profession, by instinct 
a politician. He had the qualities of his ancestors, — Scotch-Irish 
and Huguenot, — ability, courage, ambition, and dogged deter- 
mination, qualities which, after a series of defeats, gave him a 




Fruui ii iil.utut'iiii.U 1j> Aiipl. 



FIRST PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH. 




From a photograph by Appletoi 



THIRD STREET PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH. 



DAYTON" FROM 1S4O TO 1896 189 

seat in the Congress of 1856, and kept him there until 1862. 
Vallandighara's opposition to the War was so radical, his prin- 
ciples so boldly declared, his influence in his party so great, as 
to induce his arrest by the Government in IMay, 1863, his trial 
b}' a military commission, and banishment to the South. In 
June of the next year he ran the blockade from Wilmington to 
Bermuda, and from there to Canada, where he remained at 
Windsor until the following spring. While there he was nom- 
inated by acclamation Democratic candidate for Governor of 
Ohio, and defeated by John Brough, of which Senator Sherman 
has just said, "I have always regarded Brough's election in 
Ohio upon the issue distinctly made, not only as to the prosecu- 
tion of the War, but in support of the most vigorous measures to 
conduct it, as having an important influence in favor of the Union 
cause equal to that of any battle of the War." In June, 1S64, 
Mr. Vallandigham returned to his home in Dayton, where he was 
received by an immense crowd of sympathetic and enthusiastic 
friends. From this time he was again a familiar and striking 
figure at Democratic meetings and conventions. In May, 1871, 
he presented to the convention in Dayton his "New Departure" 
resolutions. Soon after, he delivered the last and probably most 
powerful speech of his life. Mr. Vallandigham formed a law- 
partnership in 1870 with Judge Haynes. In June of the following 
year he was leading attorney for the defense in an important 
murder trial at Lebanon. While demonstrating his theory in 
regard to the alleged murder, he accidentally shot himself, and 
died the next morning. Then once again the name of Vallan- 
digham brought together a great concourse of people. This 
time they followed him quietly, and left him sadly in the peace 
which comes to all — under the sod. 

Among the portraits in the large history of Dayton, Ohio, 
published in 1889, is one with the trembling, unsteady signature 
of an old man — "Thomas Brown." Life was still attractive 
and full of interest to this bright-eyed, active, helpful, genial 
old man when the angel of death led him gently over the 
threshold into the promised land one day in Ma}-, 1894. Mr, 
Brown had been one of Dayton's best citizens since 1S28. "A 
man of public spirit, fully up with the times, and always at the 
front in all public enterprises," he was a Christian and a gentle- 
man of the old school. Born in 1800, Mr. Brown had seen the 
century from the beginning almost to the end. 



190 DAYTON FROM 1S4O TO 1S96 

In 1840 the medical profession was represented in Daj-ton b}' 
such old-school gentlemen and positive characters as Dr. John 
Steele, Dr. Job Haines, and Drs. Hibberd and Adams Jewett. 
Later came many others, among them Dr. Clarke McDermont, 
who served the soldiers with heart and hand ; Dr. Armor, and 
Dr. John Davis. Of the charter members of the Montgomery- 
County Medical Society, organized in 1849, only two survive — 
Dr. Carey, lovingly remembered by many friends and patients 
here, now a citizen of Indianapolis, and Dr. J. C. Reeve, whose 
keen, sensitive, scholarly face is still a familiar one among us. 

Perhaps, among the many who spend long summer hours 
under the trees in Cooper Park, idly watching the little crowd 
that passes along the sun-flecked walk, and in and out of the 
open door of the Library, there are a few who wonder what it is — 
this strange hunger for books, not knowing it was that which 
made the beautiful building possible, and stored it with treasures 
to which all are made welcome ; for it is a very common instinct 
among those who love books to pass their blessings on. This 
feeling led to the establishment of libraries and Ij^ceums, and 
to the organization in 1847 o^ the Dayton Library Associa- 
tion, which soon started on a pleasant and useful career, with 
an opening list of a thousand books. In a little town of scarcely 
twenty thousand people a library association was a luxury that 
must be paid for with work and self-denial. The cheerful givers 
were called upon again and again, while other friends labored 
earnestly with tongue and pen, that the good work might go 
on. The money which had been gathered by taxation for school 
library purposes was used in Dayton for a central library, which 
started in 1S55 with one thousand two hundred and fifty carefull}^ 
selected books free to all. In 1S60 it was determined that the 
public interest wovild be best served by the union of the two libra- 
ries ; so the Library Association transferred its valuable library 
and furniture to the Board of Education. The united books, the 
cheerful room, an ever-ready librarian, and the prosperity of an 
assured income, combined then to make the Da3'ton Pi:blic Library 
the object of pride, pleasure, and profit to the citizens of Dayton 
which it is now. In 188S the library was removed to the stone, fire- 
proof building in Cooper Park — one of the finest in the West — 
which it now occupies ; and in its commodious quarters, with more 
than thirty-five thousand catalogued books, and a well-equipped 
museum, it is the center of attraction for a large number of citizens. 



DAYTON FROM 184O TO 1S96 I9I 

Dayton has never been lacking in churches. In 1842 Dr. Barnes 
was preaching in the First Presbyterian Church, the second 
that had been built on the corner of Second and Ludlow streets, 
where a handsome stone one now stands. The Third Street 
Presbyterians built a brick church on the corner of Third and 
lyudlow streets in 1S42, which they occupied until it was torn 
down to make way for the present handsome stone structure. 
The town clock which many remember on the old Second Pres- 
b3"terian steeple, was purchased and first placed on the tower of 
Wesley Chapel in 185 1. The Finst Baptist Church had finished 
an edifice on the corner of Jefferson and Fourth streets, where they 
remained until the removal to their present quarters on Main 
Street. Christ Episcopal Church, on Jefferson Street, was then 
almost ten years old, and was not abandoned until 1S74, when 
a new one was completed on First Street. The First United 
Brethren Church was organized in 1847 in a small room in the 
Oregon Engine-House. Their first church building was erected 
in 1852 on Sixth Street near Logan, and served the congrega- 
tion until 1873, when the lot on Fifth Street between Main and 
Jefferson was bought, on which their church now stands. The 
Methodists, who were among the earliest settlers of Dayton, had 
already outgrown two churches when a new brick one was erected 
on Third Street in 1849. In 1866 more room was needed by the 
congregation, and a lot on the corner of Fourth and Ludlow 
streets was purchased and a new building dedicated in 1S70. The 
First Reformed Church had finished their building on Ludlow 
between Second and Third streets in 1840. The First English 
Lutherans built their first house of worship on the southwest 
corner of Fourth and Jefferson streets in 1841. Their present 
church building was erected in i860, and dedicated in January, 
1861. The first Hebrew congregation was organized in 1850. 
They met in the old Dayton Bank building until 1863, when 
they purchased the old Baptist church. Since then a hand- 
some synagogue has been built on Jefferson between First and 
Second streets. The first Roman Catholic family came to Dayton 
in 1831. By 1837 the Franklin Street church was built, and in 
1873 a very large new one just east of the old site was dedicated. 
The first church for colored people was organized in 1842. From 
these various beginnings have sprung many churches and mis- 
sions, until now, looking down from the surrounding hills, noth- 
ing is more striking than the number of slender spires in the 



192 DAYTON FROM 184O TO 1896 

once little town below that has come to be called the " City of 
Churches." 

Dayton was much terrified and incommoded by the flood of 
1847. Some money was lost, but no lives. The heavy rainstorms 
of September, 1866, again produced a flood, which cost, in losses 
to individuals and public property, no less than two hundred 
and fifty thousand dollars. After this disaster the waterway was 
broadened and the bridges lengthened. Another general flood 
occurred in February, 18S3, and an extraordinarily heavy storm 
visited the city in 1S86. 

In the summer of 1849, by a cholera epidemic Dayton lost 
more than two hundred of her people. 

For the first half century Dayton, like a happy young mother, 
kept her children close about her ; but the modern restless feel- 
ing began to come. Some talked of the gold of California, and 
took the long and toilsome trip as if it were a journey' to Fairy- 
land. Some talked of politics and some of war. Blaine says, 
"There was not in the whole country a single citizen of intelli- 
gence who was indiflerent to Clay or Jackson." A little later 
the men of Dayton were watching the battles of the political 
giants with the same eager interest. Some had been captivated 
by the "Fiftj^-four forty, or fight" campaign cry. Others would 
have left that question to time. Some were for the annexation 
of Texas and the acquisition of Mexican territory. Others 
felt that a war with Mexico would have no excuse of justice or 
necessity. Yet when the election of Mr. Polk gave an unques- 
tionable verdict in favor of annexation, and when on May 13, 1846, 
war with Mexico was formally declared, the citizens of Dayton 
sprang forward to defend the country, and Dayton became a ral- 
lying-point for the enlistment of soldiers. The militia of the 
county, organized as the First Brigade, commanded by Brigadier- 
General Adam Speice, was attached to the Tenth Division of Ohio 
Militia. Public meetings were held and offices opened for 
recruiting. 

On the 20th of May the First Brigade of the Tenth Division was 
ordered to assemble at Dayton with a view to immediate organi- 
zation for service. As the numbers of the companies were not 
quite full, the National Giiard, Captain Hormell, began recruit- 
ing on the 26th at their armory ; the Dayton Dragoons, changed 
to Dayton Riflemen, Captain Giddings, at McCann's store. The 
Riflemen and National Guard were tlie first to start for Camp 




From a photograph by Appleton- 



GRACE METHODIST EPISCOPAL CHURCH. 




Frym a photograph by Appleton. 



CHURCH OF THE SACRED HEART. 



DAYTON FROM 184O TO 1 896 I93 

AVashington, the rendezvous for Ohio volunteers. Thej- boarded 
the canal-boats, amid music and cheering, just at sunset on the 
4th of June. It is safe to say that the most of Dayton watched 
the slow boats towed oflf and the bright new banners vanish 
in the distance. There were sad hearts, of course ; but many also 
who were eager to follow. So by June 9 another company 
was ready to leave, but could not be accepted b}- the Government, 
too many men having already volunteered for the necessities of 
the service. By August the three Ohio regiments were beside 
the Rio Grande, and later took a brave part in the battle of 
Monterej'. Eight Dayton men were lost in this battle. 

In 1847 the Fifteenth Regiment of regulars was raised to serve 
during the war. In one of the companies there were twenty-two 
Da3-ton men. Edward A. King was appointed captain of this 
company, which left Da3'ton on the 24tli of April, 1S47, a great 
crowd watching its departure also. The time of the first two 
companies having expired, they were mustered out of service at 
New Orleans June 11 and 12. Company B reached Daj^ton on 
the 26th with a tattered flag and but fort}- men ; Company C, a 
few daj's later. The people turned out from town and country — 
five thousand of them — and waited at the foot of Main Street 
with the militia, music, and guns until the slow little canal- 
boats brought them back. In response to the next call for troops 
the "Dayton German Grenadiers" were raised. Captain John 
"Werner. These were with Scott at Contreras, Churubusco, Cha- 
pultepec, and the cit}' of Mexico. In Juh', 1S4S, thej' returned 
with onl}' thirt3--six men. Peace was proclaimed b}' President 
Polk Jul}- 4, 1848. The military spirit seems to have lingered in 
Daj^ton long after the end of the war, and was kept up by 
reviews, shaiu-battles, and parades. The largest of these dem- 
onstrations was in 1858, when Governor Chase reviewed the Ohio 
troops at Dayton. 

The first telegraph message w-as received in Dayton September 
17, 1847. In the next few 3'ears other lines were built, which 
have since been consolidated, until now there are but two ofiices 
in the cit}'. 

The population of Dayton in 1848 was fourteen thousand. 

Houses were first lighted by gas in 1849, but street lights came 
a little later. At present the city is well supplied with both gas 
and electric light. 

Curwen says, in 1850 : "Da3-ton is on the natural route of the 

13 



194 DAYTON FROM 1840 TO 1 896 

great chain of railroads that are de.stined at an early date to con- 
nect the extreme West with the Atlantic cities. The completion 
of the several lines of railroads now in process of construction 
and contemplated will afford a continuous chain from St. Louis 
to all the great commercial cities of the East. What has been 
done may be briefly stated. The Lake Erie & JNIad River Rail- 
road [from Dayton to Sandusky] terminates here. Over this 
road there passed last year over one hundred and eight thousand 
people. The Dayton & Western Railroad [ from Daj^ton to Rich- 
mond, Indiana] when completed will be one of the best roads 
in the country. The road from Dayton to Greenville will be in 
operation early in 1S51." It is safe to say that Mr. Curwen's 
predictions have been amply fulfilled. Daj'ton now has eleven 
railroads, which form parts of fovir great systems. The period 
of which Curvven writes was also one of great prosperity for the 
canals, which showed little diminution for the next ten years. 

The first street-railroad was chartered in 1869, as the "Dayton 
Street Railroad," though generally known as the "Third Street 
Railroad." Others followed rapidly until in 1896 there are few 
parts of the city not reached by street-cars. Electricity has 
taken the place of horse-power on all but one road. 

After a discussion of several years the volunteer fire department 
in Dayton was succeeded by a paid force, and the first steam 
fire-engine was purchased in 1863. Dayton now has one of the 
most efficient and best-equipped fire departments in the country. 

At the spring election of 1869 the question was put to the 
people whether water-works should be erected, and was answered 
in the affirmative. On April i, 1870, the water- works committee 
made a report to Council to the effect that the machinery and 
fixtures i^laced in position were in successful operation, and up 
to and over the standard guaranteed by the company ; from 
which time Daj'ton has been one of the most fortunate cities in 
her unfailing supplj' of pure, cold water. 

The Dayton Female Orphans' Association was incorporated in 
1844. The first home, a small brick building on INIagnolia Street, 
was used until the erection of the new one across the Miami 
River. In 1867 the commissioners of INIontgomery County deter- 
mined to take charge of the Daj'ton Orphan Asjdum. A new 
home was built in Harrison Township and opened in 1S67. The 
number of children taken care of averages of late years aboiit 
a hundred. 



DAYTON FROM 1840 TO 1 896 I95 

The Dayton Young Men's Christian Association had its origin 
in a great religious revival in 1869 and 1S70, the object of the 
association being "the physical, intellectual, social, and spirit- 
ual improvement of j'oung men." The first home of the asso- 
ciation was on the second floor of the Journal building, north of 
the Court-house. In the spring of 1S75 fi:nds were raised, and the 
old Dunlevy residence, on Fourth Street, bought, remodeled, 
furnished, and occupied within a single month. A fine gym- 
nasium was opened in 1885, which only demonstrated the need 
of greater facilities. In 1886 fifty-five thousand dollars were 
contributed towards a new building, which was at once begun, 
and dedicated in the following year. The property' is now valued 
at over one hundred thousand dollars, and the value of the work 
done for young men is inestimable. 

The Woman's Christian Association was organized in 1870. 
Encouraged by the success of the 3^oung men's association, and 
hoping to work in unison with them, their work has been 
crowned with even greater success than could have been 
hoped. The work is of varied character. A widows' home is 
sustained, and a woman's exchange operated. There are many 
committees for visiting the Soldiers' Home, the hospitals, the 
jail, and for missionary work. The day and night classes 
and lunches for working girls have been among the modern and 
successful experiments. The old Winters homestead on Third 
Street was bought in 1S91, and now forms the attractive and 
convenient home of the societ}'. 

The Young Women's League, organized in 1895, has a large 
membership — principally of working women — and a comfortable 
club-house, on Jefferson Street, soiith of Fifth. 

St. Elizabeth Hospital was started on Franklin Street, near 
Ludlow, in 1878, in a very modest way by two Sisters of the 
Poor of St. Francis. They soon found that there was a broad 
field for their work. More room was needed. The Sisters selected 
six acres of land in Browntown, which were purchased, and the 
corner-stone laid in 1881 for a large building. There, supported 
by voluntary contributions, they are quietly doing a noble work. 

The Protestant Deaconess Society of Dayton was organized 
in Atigust, 1890. At first two or three deaconesses from Cin- 
cinnati nursed in private families. In October, 1891, a temporary 
hospital was opened on Fourth Street near St. Clair, under the 
direction of the society. Its usefulness proved that such a 



196 DAYTON PROM 1S40 TO 1896 

hospital, home, and training-school for nurses was needed for 
the growing cit}'. On Sunday, October 14, 1894, a new building 
was dedicated. It was built on the ground of the old Widows' 
Home, which had been bought and donated for the purpose by- 
Mrs. J. H. Winters. Crowning an eminence overlooking the 
city, it stands "a stately and massive edifice, built for a noble 
cause and dedicated to it." "Behold," says Mr. Simonds, the 
president of the societj^, ' ' how great a matter a little fire kindleth." 

The Dayton Philharmonic Society was organized in 1874, and 
has achieved a decided success. The Mozart Musical and Liter- 
ary Society was organized in 1888. There are also the Harmonia, 
the Young Men's Christian Association Orchestra, IMaennerchor, 
and other musical societies. 

The Woman's Literary Club of Dayton was organized in 1889. 
It has a limited membership, meets in the Woman's Christian 
Association parlors, and has been a pronounced success from 
the first day. A number of other woman's clubs have since 
been formed — the "H.H." Club, organized in 1891, the Friday 
Afternoon and Emerson clubs of more recent date. 

The Present Day Club, formed in January, 1895, is an organ- 
ization composed of about three hundred representative men, 
who spend an evening every two weeks during the greater part 
of the year in the discussion of important topics relating to 
social, literary, educational, religious, economic, and other 
problems. 

In 1885 Professor J. A. Robert began the improvement of the 
land along the western levee, and, by filling and protecting it 
from the river by a fine wall, has added a beautiful street to the 
city from Monument Avenue to Fifth Street, finished in July, 
1887. 

On the 22d of October, 1S92, the Columbian Centennial was 
appropriately celebrated in Dayton by an immense procession 
of military and civil societies, school-children, and industrial 
exhibits, followed by appropriate addresses and music in Cooper 
Park. 

The manufacturing interests of Dayton have long been prom- 
inent. There has been a steady and substantial growth in the 
number and size of manufacturing establishments, until in 1894, 
according to the report of the State Labor Statistician, the city 
ranked as the third in the State in number of industries, capital 
invested, and wages paid, and fourth in the value of its manu- 




m 




From a photograph bj Wolfe. 

SYNAGOGUE OF THE JESHUREN CONGREGATION. 



DAYTON FROM 184O TO 1896 I97 

factured products. Many of its establishments are very large, 
some employing from one to two thousand persons, and a number 
of them are known in almost every part of the globe. 

The stores, banks, building-associations, insurance companies, 
and other branches of trade conduct a large amount of business, 
and rank high in the commercial world. 

Within the last few years a complete sewer system has been 
projected and largely finished, and the principal streets of the 
city have been handsomely paved with asphalt, brick, sandstone, 
and granite ; and many of the residence streets have been parked 
by narrowing the roadway and making lawns along the borders 
of the sidewalks. These improvements, together with the large 
number of shade-trees which abound in the city, make the 
streets very attractive. 

In 1889 natural gas was introduced in Dayton for fuel purposes. 
Although not sufficiently plenty to supply many factories, it has 
proved a great convenience to housekeepers. 

Dayton, since the earliest days, has seldom been left for any 
length of time without a newspaper. The /ournal was descended 
from a long line of plucky ventures. It was a Republican paper, 
ably conducted after 1835 by the Comlys. It had been a weekly and 
a triweekly, and in 1847 became a daily, and as such has continued 
to the present day, with a short interregnum after the burning of 
the office, presses, and materials by a mob in May, 1863. Soon 
after this Major William D. Bickham took charge of and made 
the Joicrnal into a paper of national reputation. Mr. Bickham 
was a bold and brilliant writer, an astute and enthusiastic politi- 
cian, a man whose death, in 1894, left a vacancy in political and 
newspaper circles difficult to fill. The Journal is now conducted 
by the sons of INIr. Bickham. 

In 1842 the Democratic party in Daj'ton was represented by the 
Westerti Empire. Some years later the Daily Empire was pub- 
lished irregularly, finally becoming a regular evening paper. It 
was continued until 1863, when the editor was arrested and the 
paper suppressed because of an article which it published in 
regard to the arrest of Vallandigham. A new paper was soon 
started, and has continued to the present day under the titles 
of Daily Ledger^ Herald, Herald and Empire, Democrat, and 
Times. 

The News is an afternoon daily issued from the same office as 
the Times. 



198 DAVTON I'KOM lS.|o TO 1 S96 

The / 'olks-Zrilinii^, started in 1S66, has ahvaj'S been an inde- 
pendent pajjcr. 

The Daily Herald was started in 1879 as an independent 
journal. 

The J^rcss, first issned in 1891, is a Rcpu1)lican afternoon paper. 

Inchidinj^ the above, there are pnl)lished in tlie eity seventeen 
secular and thirty-two religious i)eriodicals, making a total of 
forty-nine jjeriodieal publications. 

Among the men whose active business life made them well 
known in the years preceding and following the War were several 
who should be mentioned at knglli in the history of these 
periods. The eldest of these was JJavid vStout, who came to 
Dayton in 1812. He was a native of Pcnn.sylvania, and was 
seventeen years old when he became a citizen of the growing 
town, lie soon engaged in business for himself, and for nearly 
half a century was actively interested in various lines of busi- 
ness, being the first man in the city to engage in the sale of 
stoves. He was at one time a member of the Town Council, for 
twenty years treasurer of the town and of the School Board, a 
director of the Cooper Cotton Factory and Dayton Carpet Com- 
pany, one of the organizers of the first public light compan5% 
treasurer of the Dayton (^.as lyight and Coke Company, and 
a stockholder in the Woodland Cemetery Association. On the 
corner where the Atlas Hotel now .stands he built one of the 
first brick residences in Dayton, which remained tinaltered until 
1892. In 1839 he moved into his new home on the northeast 
corner of vSecond and rerr3' streets, where he dispensed a liberal 
hospitality during the Harrison convention in 1840, and in 1842, 
at the Henry Clay convention, entertained one hundred and 
eight guests over night and many more at dinner. David Stout 
was remarkable for his kindness and benevolence to individuals. 
He had eight children and numerous descendants, many of 
whom now live in the city. Three of the children are now living 
and reside in Dayton — Klias R., Atlas L,., and David Orion. 

Another pioneer in prominent business enterprises of the city, 
when once it began to extend its operations, was Mr. Kbenezer 
Thresher, one of the first maniifacturcrs of agricultural imple- 
ments and of railroad cars. INIr. Thresher had been born and 
brought up in Connecticut, receiving an extended education 
and entering the ministry in New ICngland. Failing health 
compelled him to relinquish other plans, and led him in 1845 to 



DAYTON I'KOM r.S.]0 TO 1S96 I99 

conn- west to c-n)i,';ig(j in business. With Mr. IC. IC Barney find 
Mr. Packard, he orj^aiii/.ed in iS.^jtlie lirni of 'I'lueslier, Packard 
&; C()ni])any, manufacturers of agricultural machinery, and soon 
after of railroad cars. 'J'liis was tli<- hej^inninj^ of the j^reat " Car 
Works" whicli have helpcil lo iii:ike Dayton known throuj;!!- 
out the world. In iH5.|Mi-. 'rincsiicr rctirc-d, founding later his 
varnish business. Durinj^ the remaindei- of his long life, which 
continued till 1SS6, he was prominent in relij^ious and educa- 
tional circles, especially in the enterprises of the- Haptist Church, 
of which he had aKva\s been an innuential nniulxf. 'I'wo sons 
and two daughters arc still rcsidc-nts of the lity. 

Much of the history of banking in Dayton centers around the 
name of Mr. Valentine Winters. Mr. Winters came to Dayton 
from (iermantown in 1H25, and was employed in the <hy-goods 
store of Andrew Irwin, and later with Ilarshman Si Kcnch, in 
which firm he soon became a ])artner. He was prominent in tlic 
commercial circles of Dayton foi a, half ciiitiiry, couducting at 
fir.st a dry-goods and general mer(;handise store, and afterward 
tngaging in banking. He was ca,shier of the Dayton Hank, 
f)rgani'/.cd in 1H.15, and afterward was one of lln- proprietors in 
the banks of Harshman, Winters Sc Comjiany, V. Winters & 
vSon, and the Winters National Pank. Mr. Winters was a meni- 
1)er of the first Ijoard of directois of llie Dayton Sc Western 
Railroad, and with his partners, jonallian Harsliman and \<]. F. 
Drake, constructed the fir.st railroad in Minn(!S<Aa, c()iiiiecting 
vSt. Paul and Minneapolis. In 1S39 lie; was foreman oC the Safety 
Ivngine and Hose Company. In the War of the Rebellion lie 
was a loyal suj^porter of the (iovernment, and gave the assist- 
ant! of his bank to the support of the (iuauccs of the ,State and 
Nation. Mr. Winters was a member of the Third Street Pres- 
byterian Church, and gave liberally to the Young Men's Cliris- 
tian Association and Woman's Christian Assfjciation. Tn 1829 
he married Catharine Harshman, a daughter of Jonathan Harsh- 
man, and had eleven children, -four sons and sc-ven daughters, 
— a number of whom, with their descendants, still liye in the 
city. 

Another figure well known on our streets for nearly forty years 
was Mr. PVedcrick Geldiail. Mr. (/cbhart came to Dayton from 
I'ennsylvania in 1H38, being then forty years of age. He was 
.soon after followed by his brotliers Herman and Tk-orge, whose 
business interests were closely allied to their brother's. In 1839 



200 DAYTON FROM 184O TO 1 896 

Mr. Gebhart opened a drj^-goods store, removing a little later to 
the building on Third Street so long occupied by his successors, 
D. ly. Rike & Company. After a number of years he entered the 
linseed oil business, and until his death in 1878 was interested 
in enterjjrises which would add to the prestige of the cit}'. The 
descendants of these three brothers form one of the large and 
influential families of the city. 

No history of Dayton would be complete that had not much 
to say of Robert W. Steele. Quiet student though he was, he 
touched the life of the place on every side, for he was a lover of 
men and of books, of his country and home. He was born in 
1819 to a life of ease and all honorable traditions. He was the 
son of an earnest, self-reliant pioneer, who had been a merchant, 
a soldier when needed, trustee of the Presbyterian Church, of 
Miami University, and of the Dayton Academy, one of the 
founders of Woodland Cemetery, president of the Dayton Bank 
for nearly forty years, a judge for fourteen years, one of those 
chosen to cast the electoral vote of Ohio for Clay, and who had 
died in the midst of a busy, active career. This was the example 
which the past gave to the 3'oung man who was met at the 
threshold of manhood by the knowledge that such a life could 
not be his. He was prohibited by his physician from continuing 
the study of law. If he could not practice his profession, could 
not do his own work as he had planned, "Very well," he said to 
himself quietly and bravely, "I shall help others to do theirs"; 
and this, I take it, was the key-note to his life — he was a helper. 

"Whoever thou art whose need is great. 
In the name of the all-compassionate and merciful One I wait." 

Men and women went to the quiet study where he loved to 
sit, with books climbing the walls around him, and usually 
came away comforted. The teachers learned to come, — the 
pupils, too, — for he was a member of the Board of Education 
for thirty years, and its president for twelve of them. He was 
one of the founders of the Library Association, and for years 
director and president. When the association was united with 
the Public Library, he was chairman of the Library Committee 
until he resigned in 1875. Later he became a member of the 
reorganized Librarj^ Board, and served until his death. His love 
for books was the enthusiasm of his life. The feeling that other 
men put into business and professions he lavished upon these 



DAYTON FROM 1S40 TO 1896 20I 

quiet friends. He knew a good book by instinct, was a fine 
critic, and a writer himself, having done considerable work for 
newspapers, and published numerous essays, and histories of 
the librar}', cemeter}', public schools, and earlj^ Dayton. 

He was member and treasurer or president of every horticul- 
tural society of Daj^ton, as well as the Ohio State Board of 
Agriculture. He was interested in the earlj^ railroads centering 
in Daj-ton, and a subscriber to the stock of all of them but one. 

When the "War of the Rebellion came, he felt deeply. Loving 
his country as he did, he served it well. If he could not fight 
himself, he could help the soldiers in a hundred wa3-s ; he could 
care for the wives and children at home, and uphold the Govern- 
ment through the darkest da3-s. He served on the Military 
Committee of Montgomerj^ County, was a member of the San- 
itary Committee, and chairman of a Citizens' Committee. 
. No reform or change for the better in his native city ever 
lacked the hearty sj-mpathy and cordial support of Robert 
Steele. He was an elder in the Third Street Presb3'terian Church 
for forty j-ears. He was secretarj^ of the Woodland Cemetery 
Association, and its president when he died. He served five 
years as a member of the State Board of Charities. 

When death laid its touch on that kindly heart to still it, and 
men sorrowed to know they should meet that quaint figure no 
more ; when he lay asleep in the dear old home his father had 
built, and was carried over its threshold to the Woodland they 
had both tended and cared for, — who could say now which of 
the two men had done more for humanity ? 



CHAPTER XI 

DAYTON IN THE CIVIL WAR 

The Opening of the War— Fall of Sumter— Recruiting— Dayton Light 
Guards — Light Artillery— Lafayette Guards — Departure of Troops- 
Anderson Guards — Dayton Riflemen — Zouave Rangers — Buckeye Guard 
— State Guard — Camp Corwin — Camp Dayton —Families of Soldiers Cared 
For — Advancing Kirby Smith — R. C. Schenck Elected to Congress— Union 
League Formed — Arrest of Vallandigham — Journal Of&ce Burned — Mor- 
gan's Raid— Colonel King — Empire Office Mobbed — Procession of Wood- 
Wagons— Women's Work for the Soldiers — The Home-Guard — Return of 
Companies A and E— Another Call for Troops — Last Draft of the War — 
Lee's Surrender — Assassination of Lincoln — Admiral Schenck — Rear- 
Admiral Greer — Paymaster McDaniel— National Military Home — Sol- 
diers' Monument. 

The War of the Rebellion did not come upon the countr}^ like 
a sudden summer shower. The great clouds gathered slowly, 
and hung dark and menacing long before the storm broke. There 
were enough men of both parties in Dayton who had accepted 
the decision of the people in the election of Mr. Lincoln to make 
it a city sternly loyal and practicalh' helpful to the Government, 
yet there were also many firm in their devotion to States' rights 
and bitter in their opposition to the war ; and the Third Ohio 
District was represented b}' a man who had proclaimed as his 
position that ' ' if any one or more of the States of the Union 
should at any time secede, for reasons of the sufiiciency and 
justice of which before God and the great tribunal of history 
they alone may judge, much as I should deplore it, I never 
would, as a Representative in Congress, vote one dollar of money 
whereby one drop of American blood should be shed in a civil 
war." So there was a season of suspense; the people waited 
with bated breath ; men e3'ed one another with grave distrust. 
With Southern confidence at its height, and Northern courage 
at its lowest point, Mr. Lincoln began his journey to Washing- 
ton. The people, waiting for a sign, watched the quiet progress, 
read the tender words to the South, the strong and temperate 
inaugural, and of the refusal to recognize the Southern commis- 

202 



DAYTON IN THE CIVIL WAR 203 

sioners. They also read events, and began to see the patience 
and self-control, the grand courage and wisdom, of their leader, 
who, as is now clear, "came as one appointed to a great duty, not 
with rashness, not with weakness, not with bravado, nor shrink- 
ing, but in the perfect confidence of a just cause, and with the 
stainless conscience of a good man." 

When Sumter fell, the excitement in Dayton was painful in its 
intensity. The people were full of just wrath, and eager to 
avenge the insult to the flag. If there was a citizen who had 
not heard the news, he read it in the morning paper with the 
proclamation calling for seventy-five thousand men beside it. 
Recruiting was begun at once. Four days later three companies 
were starting for Columbus — the Dayton Light Guards, Captain 
Pease; Light Artillery, Captain Childs, and the Lafayette Guards, 
Captain Deister, marching to the train through great, cheering 
crowds, anxious to show that for once all were united to defend 
the country. The men who had been loyal by reason of intelli- 
gence, judgment, and expediency experienced a new feeling as 
the hot wave of enthusiasm swept over the land. On the i8th 
of April Colonel E. A. King was appointed to take charge of 
the camp at Columbus. On the same day the Anderson Guards 
opened recruiting lists. By the next night sixty-four men had 
enrolled and the company organized and left the next morning. 
The streets were crowded with people, singing "The Star- 
Spangled Banner," cheering and waving handkerchiefs and 
flags ; and it must be confessed there were tears among the 
women as they took up their heavy task of watching and 
waiting and working. The men filed out of the armory through 
the shouting crowd, and soon another hundred had gone, mak- 
ing almost five hundred men (four hundred and eighty-five) in 
answer to the first call for three months' volunteers. 

Upon their arrival at Columbus, the first three Dayton com- 
panies were assigned to the First Regiment Ohio Volunteer 
Infantry. This regiment was ordered and started to Washington 
April 19, had its first fight at Vienna, and covered itself with 
glory at Bull Run. The Dayton Riflemen and Anderson Guards 
were ordered to Camp Jackson, and later assigned to the Eleventh 
Ohio Volunteer Infantry and sent to help construct Camp Den- 
nison, where they were kept drilling for six or seven weeks. 

In June Company A (the Riflemen) reenlisted for three years. 
Part of Company G reenlisted and part returned to Dayton. 



204 DAYTON PROM 184O TO 1 896 

These were Ijiis}-, unselfish days for those at home. The doc- 
tors offered their services free to families of volunteers, and the 
druggists offered to fill prescriptions without charge. The sum 
of five thousand dollars was quickly raised for immediate wants. 
The Board of County Commissioners and the City Council each 
appropriated ten thousand dollars for the soldiers' families. 
Other large sums of money were constantly coming in. All 
sorts of donations were made. The ladies' societies went to work 
with a will. No one was too old or too young to work in some 
way. 

The Zouave Rangers tendered their services as a home-guard > 
were accepted, and served for three months. The Buckeye 
Guard was in camp at Hamilton for a few weeks, came back to 
fill up their regiment for three years' service, and returned within 
ten days. Captain Gunckel raised a company, which was 
ordered to Camp Dennison May 19. On the 22d of April, at 
Harrisburg, lyieutenant A. McD. McCook, of the Regular Army, 
was elected colonel of the First Ohio Regiment, E. A. Parrott 
lieutenant-colonel, and Captain J. S. Hughes major. On the 
evening of May 11 the people were listening to the farewell 
concert of the Regimental Band, who were to be thereafter 
musicians of the First Ohio Regiment. 

Immediately after the departure of the three months' troops in 
April, militia companies were formed. Each ward had its com- 
pany of home-guards. There was also the State Guard, composed 
of men over forty-five years of age. 

Through the summer of 1861 Dayton was full of soldiers. 
Little else was thought of Camp Corwin was located two and a 
half miles east of the city. On the 23d of August the first three 
companies of the First Ohio, — Dayton men, — and a little later 
the Dayton Cavalry, were ordered there. On August 20 a com- 
pany marched in from the northern part of the county and 
camped in the Fair Grounds. In October the Government gave 
notice that it could not furnish blankets for the First Ohio. In 
a week they had been provided by the citizens of Dayton and the 
regiment was on its way to join General McCook's brigade and 
Camp Corwin was abandoned. During the month of August 
there were fourteen recruiting offices opened in Dayton. By the 
29th of the month Dayton had sent one thousand two hundred 
and sixty-nine men to the front, out of an enrollment of three 
thousand one hundred and seventeen. 




GKNEKAIi KOBEUT C. SCIIK^'( K. 



DAYTON IN THE CIVIL WAR 205 

It is not possible in a few pages to follow all the Dayton 
soldiers through the war. Wherever brave men were needed 
thej- went gladly, and saw their share of service in Kentucky, 
Tennessee, and later on in the Shenandoah Valley and moun- 
tains of Virginia, with Grant before Richmond, with Thomas at 
Nashville, and marching through Georgia with Sherman. 

The 3'ear 1S62 was a dark one for the national cause. Recruit- 
ing for the Ninety-third began in July of that year. In it were 
four Dayton companies. Charles Anderson became the colonel 
and Hiram Strong lieutenant-colonel. Great interest was felt in 
this regiment in Daj-ton. Ten thousand dollars were raised at 
one meeting of the citizens in Julj- as a fund for the families of 
volunteers. The rendezvous for the Ninety-third was Camp 
Daj'ton, afterwards located at the Fair Grounds. The regiment 
was ordered to Lexington, Kentuckj', and left Daj-ton August 
2^. In September the camp rapidly filled up, and it was again 
necessarj' to supply the soldiers with blankets and clothing. 
There were also at that time five hundred families of volunteers 
dependent partlj^ or entirely upon the public for means of sup- 
port. 

The advance of Kirby Smith towards Cincinnati thoroughly 
aroused Dayton. The Governor called out the militia of the river 
counties. All armed men who could be in readiness by the 4th 
of September would be accepted by General Wallace. Dayton 
was urged to send to Cincinnati by that daj' every man who 
could get awa}'. In answer to these appeals, each ward raised 
at least one company for the defense of the State. Men came 
from all parts of the State, with all kinds of arms, and in all 
sorts of dress, so that the}^ were called the "Squirrel-Hunters." 
Kirby Smith retreated soiithward, and these soldiers never knew 
what they might have done. One effect of this rush of citizen 
soldiers to the front was the postponement of the draft which 
had been ordered, first to the middle of September, then to the 
ist of October, b}- which time Daj-ton had been able to fill up 
her quota. 

The next excitement was over the election to Congress of 
General Robert C. Schenck from the Third Ohio District. 

A Union League was formed in Da3-ton in March, 1S63. INIuch 
had been done in Da3-ton since the war began for the support of 
the families of the soldiers. All sorts of entertainments were 
given and money was raised in every possible wa}-. The various 



2o6 DAYTON FROM 1840 TO 1 896 

ladies' aid .societies did noble work through the winters of 1862 
and 1863. In April, 1863, there was an immense procession into 
Dayton of farm wagons loaded with wood and provisions brought 
by the farmers as their donation to the relief committee for the 
soldiers' families. 

On the 5th of May, 1863, Mr. Vallandigham was arrested by 
order of General Burnside and taken to Cincinnati to be tried 
by a military commission for violation of "General Order No. 
38," in which occurred this statement: "The habit of declaring 
sympathy for the enemy will no longer be tolerated in this 
department. Persons committing such offenses will at once be 
arrested with a view to being tried as above stated, or sent 
beyond our lines into the lines of their friends. It must be 
distinctly understood that treason, expressed or implied, will 
not be tolerated in this department." The arrest of Mr. Vallan- 
digham ensued, and it was followed the next night by the burn- 
ing of the Journal office by a mob. Dayton was at once placed 
under martial law by order of General Burnside, and remained 
so until the 21st of June. 

Each ward of the city was divided on the 9th of July into three 
districts, each of which was obliged to organize a company of 
militia. 

If there was a man in Dayton who had not felt a personal 
interest in the war, he must have come to his senses when told 
on July 13 that General INIorgan was within a day's march of 
the city. Martial law was at once proclaimed by the IMayor. 
All of the original militia was called out by the Governor and 
ordered to Camp Dennison. Dayton sent two companies. Major 
Keith started at midnight for Hamilton with two companies of 
infantry. Such other citizens as had horses and guns organized 
as scouts to patrol the roads. The six liionths' cavalry recruits 
went in pursuit of and captured fifteen of the raiders. The men 
at home threw out pickets and patroled the surrounding country. 
As it happened, ]\Iorgan's men did not come near Dayton until 
the 27th of the month, when six car-loads of them passed through 
the city as prisoners. 

Colonel King, a gallant soldier of two wars, who was killed 
while commanding a brigade in the second day's battle of Chicka- 
mauga, and whose body, lashed to a caisson, had been brought 
from the field by his soldiers, was buried from his home in 
Dayton with military honors on the last day of January, 1S64. 



DAYTON IN THE CIVIL WAR 207 

During the early months of 1864 most of the regiments in 
which Dayton men had enlisted reenlisted for three 3-ears longer 
and were at home on furloughs. An incident about this time 
was the mobbing of the Empire office by a few soldiers at home 
on leave. On the nth of May another draft occurred. Dayton 
had filled her quota excepting in one ward. Before the men 
were ordered to report, that ward also secured the requisite num- 
ber of recruits. 

There was another grand procession of wood-wagons in Octo- 
ber, 1863. They brought in three hundred and twent3'-five loads 
of wood and fifty-six wagons of farm produce. The boys of 
Dayton organized companies to saw and si)lit the wood for the 
soldiers' families. In the fall of 1863 preparations began for a 
grand soldiers' fair by all the ladies' aid societies. It was 
opened the night before Christmas, and was a brilliant success, 
artistically, socially, and financially. The total receipts amounted 
to almost twenty thousand dollars. 

In the first da3'S of the war the women took up their task with 
cheerful enthusiasm. They were proud and smiling when the 
soldiers marched away carrying the banners they had fashioned. 
They made shirts and prett}^ pin-cushions, held fairs and bazaars, 
fed the hungry troops as the^' passed through the city, and un- 
consciousl}' made out of the early daj'S of impatient waiting and 
drilling in Camp Dayton bright memories for camp-fires and 
lonel}' marches. Thej' learned to do without many a dear face 
and many a helping hand. But when the call came to be for 
bandages and lint — when the talk was more of hospital than 
of camp — the work went on, but it was often done in the shadow 
of a great terror, with brave, trembling hands. And when one 
soldier after another came home to die, or limping back on 
crutches, or with an emptj^ sleeve, — when "killed" was written 
after names like Strong, King, Bruen, Forrer, and Birch, the 
tragedy of war stood revealed. 

The professional and business men, who had organized as a 
home-guard, were surprised one fine morning in April (the 
25th), 1S64, to find themselves under orders from Governor 
Brough to take the field for one hundred da^s. Colonel Lowe at 
once summoned his regiment— the Second — to rendezvous at the 
Fair Grounds. The Twelfth Regiment was called to the same 
place. They left Dayton on the nth and 12th of May for Camp 
Chase, where the two regiments were consolidated under Colonel 



208 DAYTON FROM 1S4O TO 1S96 

Lowe and ordered to Baltimore for garrison duty in the United 
States forts near that city. After three months of faithful service 
they were ordered back to Camp Chase, and mustered out on 
August 25. 

The first veterans to return to Dayton after three years' serv- 
ice were Company A, Eleventh Ohio, and Companj' E, Twenty- 
fourth Ohio regiments. They came June 27, 1864, — a handful 
of men, but their welcome home was an ovation. In July the 
President called for five hundred thousand volunteers. On the 
20th of the month Governor Brough called for twenty new 
regiments from the State of Ohio. It thus again became the 
duty of Dayton to raise her quota. Large bounties were offered, 
and ever}- effort made to avoid a draft ; still four wards failed to 
secure their proportion. After the draft (September 21), money 
was raised and substitutes enlisted. On the 19th of December 
the President called for three hundred thousand more men. The 
bounties offered were very high, and enlistments quite brisk 
from this time. The quota of some of the wards not being quite 
full, the last draft of the war was made March 30, 1865. 

Those who had watched through dark days and long, stormy 
nights, saw the clouds beginning to break and the tide of victory 
setting in. With Farragut in Mobile Bay, Sherman in Atlanta, 
Grant before Richmond, and Sheridan dashing through the 
Shenandoah Valley, the country could but join in the "high 
hope for the future" which Mr. Lincoln guardedly expressed in 
his second inaugural address. It had been long years since 
Dayton had dared to be so happy as on the night of April 9, 
when the news of Lee's surrender was shouted through the 
streets by eager voices, and carried on the air as far as roaring 
cannon and ringing bells could take it. The war was over. 
Governor Brough set aside the 14th of the month as a day of 
thanksgiving. This was grandly celebrated in Dayton by 
services in the churches, a procession containing veterans with 
their tattered flags, and b}' fireworks and illuminations. The 
next morning brought the news that Lincoln was shot. The 
people were dumb with grief; the flags that had flaunted so 
proudl}^ the day before now hung at half-mast, and festoons of 
black took the place of gay devices on public and private build- 
ings. On the 19th of the month religious services were held in 
honor of the dead President. 

Dayton enlisted very few men for the navy, but she has some 




THE soldiers' monument, AND APARTMENT HOUSE ON THE SITE OF 

newcom's tavern. 



DAYTON IN THE CIVIL WAR 209 

names in the register that cannot be forgotten. Admiral James F. 
Schenck — "the old Admiral," as he came to be called — was a 
unique character. He entered the United States Navy as mid- 
shipman in 1825. He came to Dayton in 1836, and bought a house 
for his family on the corner of First and Ludlow streets, an old- 
fashioned, comfortable home, where the children came to play in 
the shady garden, rolling down the hill at the side, or lying idle 
in the long grass, always undisturbed and quite welcome. When 
the owner came from a cruise in the West Indies, in the IMediter- 
ranean, or to the Sandwich Islands, the coast of Africa, China, 
Japan, or Brazil, the little front yard was scarcely large enough 
for the friends who loved to gather between the wide-open door 
and the gate that never shut and listen through long summer 
evenings to tales of other lands and people, seen with shrewd 
eyes and told with dry, caustic wit in original and characteristic 
language. In 1845 Lieutenant Schenck joined the Congress, on 
which he served at the capture of Los Angeles, Santa Barbara, 
and San Pedro, California. He also participated in the capture 
of Guaymas and Mazatlan, Mexico, and was commended for efS- 
cient service in the INIexican War. In 1862 Captain Schenck took 
command of the frigate St. Lawrence, and joined the blockading 
squadron at Key West. In 1864 Commodore Schenck hoisted his 
flag on board the Powhata7i and led a division of the squadron at 
the bombardment of Fort Fisher. He was made rear-admiral in 
1868, and placed upon the retired list in the following year. 
Admiral Schenck died at his home in Dayton on the 21st of 
December, 1882. 

Rear-Admiral Greer, who retired at the head of the navy in 
February, 1895, was a Dayton man who sailed in many waters 
and saw many lands, from Africa to Greenland, from China to 
the Mediterranean. He fought through the war, assisting in the 
removal of Mason and Slidell from the Tre?it, commanding two 
ironclads and leading a division of Admiral Porter's squadron 
past Vicksburg, and also serving on the Red River expedition. 

Paymaster Charles A. McDaniel died in Dayton in February, 
1894. He left college to enter the army, in which he served 
through the early years of the war. Later he entered the navy, 
in which he had made an honorable record and many friends, 
when in the prime of life he faced suffering and death with the 
patience and quiet courage of a brave man. 

At the close of the war there were hospitals in many of the 

14 



2IO DAYTON FROM 184O TO 1896 

large cities where wounded soldiers received the tenderest and 
most skillful care. That these might be continued on a broader, 
more enduring basis, the soldiers' homes were devised and incor- 
porated imder an act of Congress. The committee appointed by 
the Board of Managers to select a site for the Central Branch 
reported April ii, 1867, recommending that ofifered by Dayton. 
Dayton was decided upon and four hundred acres bought about 
two miles west, on high ground overlooking the city, the citizens 
contributing twenty thousand dollars to the purchase. By De- 
cember, 1867, the place was ready for occupation, General 
Ingraham being detailed as acting governor, and during the first 
year one thousand two hundred and fifty disabled soldiers were 
cared for. The first gift to the new home was that of a fine library 
and pictures given by Mrs. Mary Lowell Putnam in memory 
of her son, who fell at Ball's Bluff. After the barracks the first 
necessity was a hospital. Year b}^ j^ear handsome buildings were 
added, new land was bought, and the grounds artistically laid 
out, until now the Home is not only fulfilling its mission of 
grateful and loving protection of disabled soldiers, but has also 
become one of the most beautiful spots in the country. It is 
connected with Dayton by pleasant drives and by steam and 
electric roads. The Home was visited last year by over three 
hundred and fifty thousand people. The number of men cared 
for in the past year was six thousand seven hundred and thirty- 
nine. 

The Home has been fortunate in its governors — Colonel 
Brown, whose occasional visits are hailed with delight by the 
men who were under his care for years; General Patrick, who 
died at his pOvSt, like the grand old soldier he was ; and Colonel 
Thomas, whose administration is making its own record of wise 
and careful management. 

The homes contain more inmates and are more needed every 
year, as the soldiers of thirty years ago grow to be old men ; 
but the death-rate also increases, the ratio of deaths per thousand 
of number cared for being, in the past year, 47.65, and the senti- 
nel on the beautiful monument in the cemetery watches over 
long rows of head-boards that must represent regiments. 

Before the close of the war a monument in Dayton to her 
fallen heroes was talked of. Several committees were appointed, 
but it was not until after the organization of the Old Guard that 
much could be accomplished. This organization of veterans 



DAYTON IN THE CIVIL WAR 211 

made a valiant effort. Finally, it was suggested that a law, 
raising the money by taxation, might be secured through the 
Legislature, subject to the approval of the people. General T. J. 
Wood, who was himself one of the bravest of soldiers, and had 
led his men through many bloody battles, who felt an interest in 
all soldiers and in his adopted city, was chairman of the trustees. 
He, assisted by Mr. D. B. Corwin, drafted a bill which, made 
more general, became a law on the 8th of April, 1881. This law 
was endorsed at the following October election. The contract 
was awarded in June, 1883, and the beautiful monument at the 
corner of Main and Water streets (now INIonument Avenue) was 
dedicated with ceremony on the occasion of the soldiers' and 
sailors' reunion on the last day of July, 1884, as "the memorial 
of Montgomery County to her soldiers." 



COLONEL ISRAEL LUDLOW i 

Israel, Ludlow was born at Long Hill, Morris Countj^ New 
Jersey, in 1766. He was the youngest son of Cornelius Ludlow, 
who was a lieittenant-colonel in a New Jersey troop in the War 
of the Revolution. The family was of English descent, the 
ancestor coming from Hill Deverill, in Wilshire, England, to 
this country in the seventeenth centiiry. 

In 1787, when INIr. Ludlow was twenty-one or twenty-two 
years of age, he received the following letter from the Surveyor- 
General of the United States : 

"7b Israel Ludlozu, Esq. 

"Dear Sir: I enclose to you an ordinance of Congress of 
the 20th inst., by which you will observe they have agreed to 
the sale of a large tract of land which the New Jersey Society 
have contracted to purchase. As it will be necessary to survey 
the boundary of this tract with all convenient speed, that the 
United States may receive the payment for the same, I propose 
to appoint you for that purpose, being assured of j'our abilities, 
diligence, and integrit}'. I hope j-ou will accept it, and desire 
that yovi will furnish me with an estimate of the expense, and 
inform me what monej's will be necessary to advance to you to 
enable you to execute the same. 

' ' I am, my dear sir, 
"Yours, 

"Tho. Hutchins, 
"Surveyor-General, U. S." 

He accepted his appointment, and received his instructions and 
an order on the frontier post for a sufl&cient escort to enable him 
to prosecute the survey ; but the extreme weakness of the mili- 

1 Most of the material for the following slieteh is taken from a memoir 
of Charlotte Chambers (Mrs. Israel Ludlow), written by her grandson Louis 
Garrard in 1856, and has been kindly furnished by Mr. William S. Ludlow, of 
Cincinnati, Ohio, a grandson of Colonel Ludlow. The greater portion of 
"Early Dayton" being already in type when the information was received, 
the insertion of this sketch near the end of the volume was made necessary. 
The prominence of Colonel Ludlow in the early history of the Miami region 
as well as in the founding of Dayton, renders the account here given espe- 
cially valuable. It is regretted that no portrait of the Colonel is in existence. 

213 



214 COLONEIy ISRAEL LUDLOW 

tar>' force then in the Northwest, and the dangerous duty upon 
which he was employed, caused General Harmar to write that he 
regretted to be unable to comply with the directions, on account 
of the small force at his command ; and, further, that if he were 
able to furnish the guards, it would be imprudent for Colonel 
Ludlow to go into the country which he was to survey, as at that 
time there were large numbers of Indians hunting there at that 
season, and that the survey- would have to be deferred until the 
result of a treaty which was then being made was known. This 
reply was sent from Fort Harmar, August 28, 1788. 

"The survej'S prescribed b}" the instructions of Hutchins in 
1787 were prosecuted notwithstanding the hostility of the sav- 
ages and the deficiencj' of escort, but with the inevitable dela}- 
attending the movements of small parties where precautions 
from danger so materially engross the attention." 

The following letter to General Hamilton explains the slow 
progress of the surve}-, and presents in a striking manner scenes 
of pioneer exposure and hardship : 

"Philadelphia, May 5, 1792. 

"Sir: The unexpected dela3'S that have attended m\' execut- 
ing the surve3-s of the Ohio and IMiami companies, together with 
your letters which I have received from time to time, urging my 
speed}^ exertions to effect the business, induces me to explain to 
you the cause of the delay. 

"In November, 1790, I was honored with 3-our letter of in- 
struction at this place. I proceeded immediatel}' to Fort Har- 
mar, being possessed of General Knox's letter or order to the 
commandant for an escort. On mj' way, at Fort Pitt, I saw 
Major Doiighty, who, after becoming acquainted with nij^ busi- 
ness, informed me that there was no doubt but that an escort 
would be furnished on ni}- arrival at Fort Harmar, upon which I 
supplied ni3'self with chain-carriers and other hands necessar}-, 
packhorse^, corn, provision, and camp equipage for the approach- 
ing cold season. 

"On my arrival at Fort Harmar I found that no escort could 
be obtained. Major Zeigler, who commanded, gave me his 
answer in writing, which was that he did not consider the troops 
then under his command more than sufficient to guard the settle- 
ment of Marietta, the Indians having sliortl3' before that defeated 
and broken up one of their frontier stations. Of course he could 
not conipl3^ with the order of General Knox and nn* request. ( A 
cop3' of that letter I inclosed to you.) Upon that information, 
from necessit3' I gave up the pursuit at that time, and proceeded 
to Fort Washington, supposing I could execute the IMiami surveN-. 

"Discharging nn' hired men and packhorses, I applied to 
General Harmar who then commanded, for protection while 



COLONEI, ISRAEL LUDLOW 215 

surveying the Miami tract. He informed me he did not con- 
sider his whole command a sufficient escort for my purpose. (A 
cop3^ of his answer I forwarded to you.) On the arrival of 
General St. Clair in May following, I made an official applica- 
tion for fifteen men or more, should it be convenient, to accom- 
pany me as an escort while surveying the Miami and Ohio 
tracts. He assured me that he considered the execution of this 
survey a matter of the highest interest and importance to the 
United States, and that he would make every effort to assist me 
with a sufficient guard, but that it was then impracticable. ( His 
letter I will forward to you.) Thus the business was again put 
off until the 20th of October following, when I was favored with 
the services of fifteen men, commanded by a sergeant, with 
whom I proceeded to execute the Ohio Company's survey. I 
succeeded, and returned to Fort Washington, but with the loss of 
six of the escort, and leaving in the woods all my packhorses 
and their equipage, and being obliged to make a raft of logs to 
descend the Ohio as far as Limestone from opposite the mouth 
of the Great Sandy River. 

' ' On my arrival at Fort Washington I again applied for pro- 
tection to proceed in the Miami survey. That assistance was 
refused by JNIajor Zeigler, who then commanded. (His letter I 
will produce.) My reputation, as well as the public good, being 
in some measure affected by the delay of the business, I was con- 
strained to have recourse to an effort which my instruction did 
not advise, viz. : to attempt making the survey' b}^ the aid of 
three active woodsmen — to assist as spies and give notice of any 
approaching danger. My attempts proved unsuccessful. After 
extending the western boundary more than one hundred miles 
up the Miami River, the deep snows and cold weather rendered 
our situation too distressing, by reason of my men having their 
feet frozen and itnfit to furnish game for supplies. In conse- 
quence, we returned to Fort Washington. The cold weather 
abating, I made another attempt, extending the east boundary 
as far as the line intersected the Little IMiami River, where we 
discovered signs of the near approach of Indians, and having 
but three armed men in company, induced me to return again 
to Fort Washington, which I found commanded by General Wil- 
kinson, to whom I applied for an escort, which was denied me. 
(His letter I have the honor to inclose to 50U with the others.) 

"I now have the satisfaction to present to j'ou the whole of 
the survey of the Ohio and part of the IMiami purchases, exe- 
cuted agreeably to instructions. Any further information that 
may be required respecting the causes of delay of the above 
business, I presume may be had from Generals vSt. Clair and 
Harniar, who are now here present. 

"I am, sir, 3^ours respectfully, 

"Israel Ludlow. 

"Hon. Alex. Hamilton, Secretary of the Treasury.'" 



2l6 COLONEIv ISRAEL LUDLOW 

111 the winter of 1789 he became associated with Matthias Den- 
ham and Robert Patterson in the proprietorship of the future 
Cincinnati to the extent of one-third interest, and proceeded to 
la}' out the town. In September, 1794, he surveyed the plat of a 
town adjacent to Fort Hamilton, and was sole owner. In August, 
1795, Generals St. Clair, Wilkinson, and Dayton, and Colonel 
Ludlow purchased from John Cleves Symmes the seventh and 
eighth ranges of land between the two Miamis, including the 
site of Dayton, and in November of the same year Colonel 
Ludlow laid out the town of Dayton, naming it after one of his 
associates. He was also the owner of a large extent of land in 
the vicinity, on the banks of Mad and IMiami rivers. He was 
commissioned to fix the boundary line between the United States 
and the Indians in accordance with the treaty of Greenville, 
made by General Wayne in 1795. This was done in 1797. 

Colonel Ludlow was married in 1796, at Chambersburg, Penn- 
sylvania, to Charlotte, daughter of General James Chambers. 
His death occurred at his residence, at that time a^short distance 
outside of Cincinnati, but now included in the city, January 20, 
1S04, when he was but thirty-eight years of age. He was buried 
in the Presbyterian burying-ground at Public Square, Cincinnati, 
which was bounded by Fourth, Fifth, Main, and Walnut streets. 
Twice his remains were removed — for the second and last time 
in November, 1S95, and were then interred in Spring Grove Cem- 
etery, which had once been a part of his country residence. 

"The shock created by the announcement of his death could 
be understood only in the new district, where the sparseness of 
population and community of interests and friendship rendered 
conspicuous a valuable man, and his loss deep-seated and seem- 
ingly irreparable. The inhabitants joined the IMasonic Fraternity 
in paying a closing tribute of respect to his memory. An ora- 
tion was pronounced b}- the Hon. T. Sj'mmes." 

Mr. Ludlow was not permitted to witness the wonderful results 
of the enterprise to the forwarding of which his untiring indus- 
try was directed. That he had a prescience of its importance 
is shown by his large entries of land, now noted for its great 
fertility and value. The selection of town sites when the terri- 
tory was an unbroken forest, and where intimate knowledge of 
soil, timber, and natural outlet of countrj^ is necessary to eminent 
success, entitles him to no little credit for sound judgment and 
discriminating foresight. Modesty was a well-known trait of 



COLONEI. ISRAEL LUDLOW 2\^ 

his character. With an eye quick to di.scern, and energy to have 
applied, every measure conducing to the prosperity of the ter- 
ritory and city whose early progress was the adumbration of 
speedy greatness, he was himself indifferent to his own political 
advancement, and willing to wait at least until the fulfillment 
of his present plans. Thus it is that, without legislative record 
of the facts, his name is not known in a manner commensurate 
with his services to the infant colony and the youthful State. 
His is not an anomalous case. The unwritten history of every 
community illustrates the point that the most valuable men are 
not alwaj-s, and indeed but seldom, in office. Israel Ludlow was 
not a politician in the clamorotts sense of the term. He was a 
man for the times in which he lived, atid possessed a peculiar 
fitness for the extended sphere of his influence. The absence 
of such men in the necessitous condition of a struggling settle- 
ment explains the cause of premature decay and failure : their 
presence constitutes the mainspring of progress, the encouraging 
support of first puny effort, until accumulated strength affords 
the power of self-propulsion. He lived in a day when a citizen 
found in the extension of aid to the impoverished emigrant and 
his suffering family ample scope for the exercise of the most 
generous heart-impulses. To him they could turn as a safe 
adviser and a substantial friend without fear of neglect. His 
life was illustrated by a series of practical benevolences, free 
from ostentation and the laudation of scarcely other than the 
recipients of his disinterested kindness. 



oKmc*^ 



"^JLiiiu^ CL> 



HISTORICAL AND STATISTICAL TABLES 



219 



Copyright, 1896 

By W. J. Shuey, Publisher 

All rights reserved 



220 



HISTORICAL AND STATISTICAL TABLES 



LOCATION AND AREA. 

Dayton, the county-seat of Montgomery County, Ohio, is located on both 
banks of tlie Great Miami River, at the confluence of Stillwater, Mad River, 
and Wolf Creek with the Miami, and on the line of the Miami and Erie 
Canal, sixty miles north-northeast of Cincinnati, and seventy -one miles west 
by south of Columbus. Its latitude is thirty-nine degrees forty-four minutes 
north, and its longitude is eighty-four degrees eleven minutes west from 
Greenwich, or seven degrees eleven minutes west from Washington. It is an 
important station on eleven railroads, which belong to four great systems, 
namely : The Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, Chicago & St. Louis and the Dayton 
& Western, of the Pennsylvania Lines; the Cleveland, Cincinnati, Chicago 
& St. Louis and the Dayton & Union, of the "Big Four" System; the Cin- 
cinnati, Hamilton & Dayton, the Dayton & Michigan, the Cincinnati, Dayton 
& Ironton, and the Cincinnati, Dayton & Chicago, of the C, H. & D. System; 
the New York, Pennsylvania & Ohio, of the Erie System; the Dayton, 
Lebanon & Cincinnati Railroad, and the Home Avenue Railroad. Thirty- 
six hard-graveled roads radiate in all directions from the city, with an 
aggregate length of over six hundred miles. The extreme dimensions of 
Dayton are: east and west, five and one-eighth miles; north and south, three 
and one-half miles. Its area is about ten and three-quarters square miles. 

POPULATION. 

1796.... About 36. 1840.... 0,067. 1870.... 30,473. 

1802 .... Five families. 1845 .... 9,792. 1880 ... . 38,678. 

1810.... 383. 1850.... 10,976. 1890.... 61,220. 

1820 .... 1,139, 1860 .... 20,081. 1896 ... . About 80,000. 
1830.... 2,954. 

CITY GOVERNMENT AND INSTITUTIONS. 
(Compiled from latest reports.) 

MAYOR. 

Elected for two years; ex officio president of Board of Police Directors and 
Board of Health, and organizes the City Council; appoints the Board of City 
Afl'airs, the Tax Commission, Board of Work-House Directors, and Board of 
Elections. 

BOARD OF CITY AFFAIRS. 

Four members; term of office four years, one being appointed each year 
by the Mayor; powers executive. 

221 



222 HISTORICAL AND STATISTICAL TABLES 

CITY CODNCIL. 

Sixteen members, elected from eight wards by the voters of the wards; 
term of office two years, half expiring each year; powers legislative. 

Measures involving expenditure and public franchises must be approved 
by both City Council and Board of City Affairs. 

BOARD OF ELECTIONS. 

Four members, appointed by the Mayor, one secretary. 

BOARD OF EQUALIZATION. 

Six members, elected by the City Council. 

MISCELLANEOUS. 

City clerk, elected by the Council; treasurer, elected by the people; comp- 
troller, solicitor, engineer, sealer of weights and measures, market-master, 
superintendent of levees, appointed by the Board of City Affairs; wood- 
measurer, elected by the people. 

PUBLIC SCHOOLS. 

Board of Education.— Si-Kteen members, elected for two years from eight 
wards by the voters of the wards, half being elected each year. 

Officers and Teachers.— Clerli, superintendent of instruction, superintend- 
ent of buildings, truant officer, city board of examiners with three members, 
twenty principals, twenty-five High School teachers, three Normal School 
teachers, two Manual-Training School teachers, four special teachers, 251 
district-school teachers; total number of teachers, 305. 

Enumeration of School Youth (Between six and twenty-one years of age).— 
Public schools, 10,960; private schools, 240; church schools, 2,102; not attend- 
ing, 7,276; grand total, 20,578. 

Number of Pupils in Public Schools.— District schools, 5,143 boys, 5,037 girls, 
or a total of 10,180; High School, 297 boys, 474 girls, or a total of 771; Normal 
School, 31; grand total, 10,982. In Manual-Training School, 45 pupils from the 
High School and 76 pupils from the eighth grade of the district schools; 
total, 121. 

/Sc7ioo?s.— Nineteen district schools, one high school, one manual -training 
school, one normal school, two night grammar-schools, two night drawing- 
schools. 

i?m7dmg's.— Twenty-nine district buildings, including annexes, one high- 
school building, one library building. Total value in 1895, 11,269,416.50; in- 
cluding personal property, $1,323,525.50. Value of High School: lot, $60,000; 
building, $255,000; personal property, $11,358; total, $326,a58. 

Finances. — Receipts, exclusive of temporary loans and bonds, for the year 
ending August 31, 1895, $314,878.14; expenses, exclusive of bonded debt and 
temporary loans, $3^55,700.81; bonded debt, August 31, 1895, $485,000. 

PUBLIC LIBRARY. 

Board of six members, elected by the Board of Education ; librarian, cat- 
aloguer, five library assistants; occupies a fine stone library building, fire- 
proof, erected in Cooper Park in lSS()-87, and valued at $100,000; contains 
35,325 volumes and 1,292 pamphlets; card and printed catalogues; museum 
attached; expenses, 1894-95, $10,830.50, of which $2,601.70 was spent for the 
purchase of books and periodicals, and $1,094.03 for the museum. 



CITY GOVERNMENT AND INSTITUTIONS 22;^ 

POLICE DEPAKTMENT. 

Orga)iization.—^layor and four police directors, secretary, police judge, 
clerk of the police court, superintendent, captain, five sergeants, detective 
sergeant, surgeon, seventy-flve patrolmen (eight mounted), two turnkeys, 
court bailiff, two telephone operators, one police matron. 

Headquai-ters. — In City Building. 

Equipment.— One central station, two substations, one patrol house, two 
patrol wagons, one ambulance, sixteen horses. 

Finances.— im^ : Receipts, S76,622.31 ; disbursements, ?69,959.99; balance, Jan- 
uary 1, 1895, $6,662.32. 

A police benevolent association. 

W^OKK- HOUSE. 

Four directors, appointed by the Mayor, superintendent, matron; one 
work-house. 

FIRE DEPARTMENT. 

Organization.— Fowr fire commissioners, chief and secretary, first assistant 
chief, second assistant chief, seventy-six firemen. 

Equipment.— Ty^QlYe engine, hose, and hook-and-ladder houses; a fire- 
alarm telegraph system, with over one hundred boxes; four steam fire- 
engines; two chemical engines; thirteen hose'wagons; three hook-and-ladder 
wagons; two telegraph wagons ; three buggies; thirty-six horses. 

Finances. — 1895: Cost of maintenance, 567,217.29; value of real estate, S90,500. 

Service.— 'Snva.hev of alarms in 1895, 344; total loss, f 21,978.05; total value of 
property where fires occurred, $2,012,675; total insurance, §1,011,557. The loss 
amounted to onlj' about twenty-five cents pei- capita of the population. 

A firemen's benevolent association. 

WATER - WORKS. 

Established, 1S70. 

Organization.— Three trustees, secretary, assistant secretary, chief engineer, 
first assistant engineer, second assistant engineer, superintendent of street 
department, two inspectors and collectors. 

Equijmient. — One pumijing-house; three engines, with combined daily 
capacity of 29,000,000 gallons; eighty-five eight-inch tube-wells, driven to a 
depth of forty-five to fifty feet; over ninety-six miles of street mains, 937 
fire-hydrants, 8,607 service connections, 1,300 meters. 

i^man«es.— Total expenditures, 1870 to December 31, 1895, $1,792,560.39; total 
income to December 31, 1895, $938,872.77; net cost to December 31, 1895, $8.5:3,- 
687.62; water- works bonded debt, November, 1895, $765,000, which is gradually 
being paid; cost of pipe, hydrants, etc., and laying of same, 1870-95, $700,000; 
received from sale of water, 1870-95, $860,926.83; net earnings, 1870-95, $;i42,000. 

Quality of the Water.— T!\ie quality of the water, by recent analysis, has 
been found to be first-class. It is clear, cold, and remarkably free from 
injurious matter. In a recent analysis an average of only forty-eight germs 
to the cubic centimeter were found in the samples examined. The average 
temperature in the pipes is about 50'^. 

BOARD OF HEALTH. 

Mayor and six members of the board, health ofllcer, secretary, meat 
inspector, four sanitary policemen. 



224 HISTORICAL AND STATISTICAL TABLES 

CITV INFIRMARY. 

Three directors, superintendeut, clerk, city physician. 

MARKETS. 

Two market-houses, with street markets adjoining; one market-master. 

TA'X COMMISSION 

Six members, appointed by the Mayor. 

TAXES. 

City Expenses, 1391,-95. 

Board of Health and Sanitary 10 mills $i,104 82 

Bridges 23 mills 10,262 05 

Elections 15 mills 6,157 23 

Fire Department l.To mills 71,8ai 37 

General Expense 60 mills 24,628 93 

Hospitals ( Deaconess and St. Elizabeth ) 05 mills 2,052 41 

Infirmary 05 mills 2,052 41 

Lighting ; 70 mills 28,733 75 

Police Department LIO mills 45,153 03 

Parks and Levees 05 mills 2,052 41 

Street Cleaning , 75 mills 30,786 16 

Street Improvement 35 mills 14,366 87 

Sewers 05 mills 2,052 41 

Work -House 05 mills 2,052 41 

School Paving 10 mills 4,104 82 

6.10 mills $250,394 08 

City Interest and Sinking Fund 5.45 mills 223,712 73 

»474,106 81 
Board of Education, 1895-96. 

Regular Levy 7.00 mills 8288,974 49 

Manual-Training School 20 mills 8,256 41 

Public Library 25 mills 10,320 52 

Taxes for All I'tvrposcs, 1S95-96. 

City, County, and State 26.00 mills $1,073,333 82 

Tax Valuation, 1S05-96. 
Taxable Property $41,282,070 

BONDED DEBT. 

General Bonds. 

(Principal and interest payable from a direct tax upon the General 
Duplicate.) 

Outstanding March 1, 1895— 

Bridge $68,000 00 

City Hall 71,000 00 

City Prison 10,000 00 

Extending Indebtedness ' 150,000 00 

Fire Deiiurtment 24,000 00 

Funded Debt 249,000 00 



PERIODICALS — CHURCHES 225 

Outstanding March 1, 1895— 

General Street and Improvement $50,000 00 

Levee 30,000 00 

Park Street Sewer 126,000 00 

Police Deficiency 36,000 00 

Sewer 150,000 00 

Street Paving 528,000 00 

Southwestern Scwcr 17,000 00 

Street Improvement 150,000 00 

Wolf Creek Improvement 50,000 00 

Water -Works 505,000 00 

Water- Works Enlargement 3,000 00 

Water -Works Improvement 280,000 00 

Total 82,197,000 00 

Improvement Bonds. 

(Principal and interest payable from assessments upon abutting or 
benefited property.) 
Outstanding March 1, 1895— 

Street Paving 51,178,000 00 

Sewer 180,000 00 

Special Assessment 36,165 00 

Total »1,391,165 00 

PERIODICALS. 

SECULAR. 

Daily. — Six, one of which is German. 
Weekly. — Nine, one of which is German. 
Monthly.— Two. 

jToto?.— Seventeen. 

EELIGIOXTS. 

Weekly. — Eleven, one of which is German. 
Semwionthly.— 'Sine, one of which is German. 
Monthly.— Three. 
Quarterly. — Nine, one of which is German. 

ro^a?.- Thirty-two. 

Grand Total. — Forty-nine. 

CHURCHES. 

Baptist, 11. Methodist Episcopal, African, 2. 

Baptist Brethren, 1. Methodist Protestant, 1. 

Christian, 2. Metliodist, Wesleyan, 1. 

Congregational, 1. Presbyterian, 7. 

Disciples of Christ, 2. Protestant Episcopal, 3. 

Dunkards, 2. Reformed, 5. 

Evangelical Association, 2. Roman Catholic, 7. 

Hebrew, 3. Salvation Army, 1. 

Lutheran, 7. United Brethren in Christ, 12. 

Methodist Episcopal, 10. United Presbyterian, 1. 
Total, 81. 
15 



226 HISTORICAL AND STATISTICAL TABLES 

CHURCH AND PRIVATE SCHOOLS. 



PROTESTANT. 



Union Biblical Seminary, the theological school of the Church of the 
United Brethren in Christ; four jDrofessors, one general manager, and forty- 
three students. 

St. Paul's German Lutheran School, common branches. 



ROMAN CATHOLIC. 



Eight parochial schools and academies. 

St. Mary's Institute; twenty-one officers and jirofessors, 275 students in 
institute, and 120 students in normal department. 



Miami Commercial College. Young Ladies and Misses' School. 

Dayton Commercial College. Home School for Boys. 

English Training School. Conservatory of Music. 

Deaver Collegiate Institute. Dayton College of Music. 

BENEVOLENT AND CHARITABLE INSTITUTIONS. 

Young Men's ChiHstian Association. — A Protestant institution, founded in 
1870; occupies a fine stone-front building on the south side of Fourth Street, 
between Main and Jefl'erson; value of property, over S100,()00; membership, 
over 2,500; conducts religious, educational, and physical depai'tments, includ 
Ing manual training and industrial education; has reception-room, par 
lors, reading-room, junior room, educational rooms, shop, entertainment 
hall, gymnasium, bath-rooms, and athletic park; receipts in 1S94-95, $19,386.95; 
expenses, S19,269.G5. 

Woman^s Christian Association. — X Protestant institution, founded in 1870; 
occupies excellent brick buildings on the south side of Third Street, between 
Ludlow and Wilkinson; value of property, f 60,000; membership, about 
850; includes a young woman's department; conducts religious, charitable, 
educational, and physical departments, lunch-room, and exchange; has 
reception-room, parlors, reading-room, educational rooms, entertainment 
hall, industrial class-room, gymnasium, bath-rooms, etc.; receipts in 1894-95, 
»4,279.41; expenses, $4,242.92. 

Young Women's League.— Founded in 1895; occupies a brick building on 
the west side of Jefferson Street, between Fifth and Sixth streets; member- 
ship, 450; conducts religious, educational, and physical departments, and 
lunch-room. 

Young Men's Institute. — A Roman Catholic institution; occupies a brick 
building on the south side of Fourth Street, between Ludlow and Wilkinson. 

8t. Joseph's Institute. — Conducted by the Catholic Gesellen-Verein, for the 
benefit of young men; organized in 1868; furnishes reading-room, gymna- 
sium, and free circulating library; building located on Montgomery Street. 

Protestant Deaconess Home and Hospital.— Younded in 1890 by the Protestant 
Deaconess Society of Dayton; occupies an expensive pressed-brick building 
on south side of Apple Street, between Main and. Brown, costing, with 
equipment, about $150,000; capacity, 175 patients. 

St. Elizabeth Hospital. — A Roman Catholic institution, founded in 1878; 
conducted by the Sisters of the Poor of St. Francis; occupies a large brick 



SOCIETIES AND CLUBS 22/ 

building on the west side of Hopeland Street, between Washington and 
Albany, costing over $Go,OUO; capacity, 2^2 patients. 

Widows' iibme.— Founded in 1875, by the Woman's Christian Association; 
occupies a brick building on the northeast corner of Findlay and May 
streets; capacity, twenty-eight inmates; endowment, $37,358.79; receipts, 
for year ending October 5, 1895, $3,124.99; expenses, $2,911.59. 

Montgomery County Children's iTojne.— Founded in 1866; occupies a brick 
building on the east side of Summit Street, south of Home Avenue; number 
of inmates in February, 1895, fifty-one, of whom thirty-eight were boys and 
thirteen were girls; total received from the founding, 1,864. 

Christian Deaconess Home. — Monument Avenue, West Side. 

Children's Home. — 116 South Ringgold Street. 

Bethany Home.— For homeless girls and women; 159 East Park Street. 

National Soldiers'' Home (Central Branch). — Founded in 1867; located a 
short distance west of the city; grounds cover six hundred and twenty-five 
acres; number of inmates, about 6,000. 

Southern Ohio Asylum for the Insane. — Founded in 1852; located at the south 
end of Wayne Avenue; capacity, 800 patients. 

Hunuine Society. 

Women's Christian Temperance Union, JVb. 1. 

Women's Christian Temperance Union, No. 2. 

St. Joseph's German Catholic Asylum. 

Other Societies. — Numerous lodges of Masons, Knights of Pythias, Knights 
of St. John, Odd Fellows, Grand United Order of Odd Fellows, Grand Army 
of the Republic, Sons of Veterans, Woman's Veteran Relief Union, Order of 
United American Mechanics, Knights of Labor, trades unions, and other 
orders. 

LITERARY AND MUSICAL SOCIETIES. 

Present Daj' Club. Shakespeare Club. 

Woman's Literary Club. Philharmonic Society. 

"H. H."Club. Mozart Club. 

Emerson Club. Harmonia Society. 

Friday Afternoon Club. Maennerchor. 

POLITICAL CLUBS. 

Garfield Club. Thurman Club. 

Jackson Club. Lincoln Club. 

Gravel Hall Club. 

SOCIAL, CYCLING, GYMNASTIC, AND OTHER CLUBS. 

Dayton Club. Dayton Gymnastic Club. 

Dayton Bicycle Club. Dayton Turngemeinde. 

Y. M. C. A. Wheelmen. Stillwater Canoe Club. 

Dayton Lawn Tennis Club. Ruckawa Canoe Club. 

Dayton Angling Club. Dayton Camera Club. 

MILITARY COMPANIES. 

Phoenix Light Infantry, Company G, Third Regiment Infantry, Ohio 
National Guard. 

Gem City Light Infantry, Company I, Third Regiment Infantry, Ohio 
National Guard. 



228 HISTORICAL AND STATISTICAL TABLES 

STREET-RAILWAYS. 

City Sailivay.— Third Street Line, from the east end of Third Street to the 
Soldiers' Home; electric; length of line, over six miles of double track and 
less than one-quarter mile of single track. 

Fifth Street Line, from the east end of HufTman Avenue to the Soldiers' 
Home; electric; length of line, six and one-half miles of double track and 
about one-half mile of single track. 

Green Line, from the east end of Richard Street to the corner of Fifth 
and Wilkinson; electric; length of line, over two miles of double track. 

Authorized capital, $2,100,000; total length of lines operated, over fourteen 
and one-half miles of double track and about three-quarters of a mile of 
single track. 

Oakicood Street- Jiailway.— From the north end of Salem Street in Dayton 
V^iew to Oakwood, at the south end of Brown Street; electric; capital, $300,- 
000; length of line, about four miles of double track. 

White Line jStreet-Hailway.— From the corner of Main Street and Forest 
Avenue in Riverdale, via Main, Third, Ludlow, Washington, and German- 
town streets to the Soldiers' Home; electric; capital, $400,000; length of line, 
about six miles of double track. 

Wayne Avenue and Fifth Street Railway. — From the south end of Wayne 
Avenue, via Wayne Avenue, Fifth, Jefferson, First, Keowee, and Valley 
streets to the east end of Valley Street in North Dayton; horse-cars; capital, 
$100,000; length of line, about three miles of double track and about one 
mile of single track. 

Dayton Traction Company.— South Main Street, from the corner of Fifth and 
extending to Calvary Cemetery; electric; capital, $250,000; length of line, one 
and one-half mues of double track and one and one-half miles of single track. 

Total length of street railways operated, over twenty-nine miles of double 
track and about three and one-quarter miles of single track. About two 
and one-half miles of double track being used jointly, the net length of 
double track is about twenty-six and one-half miles. 

STREET IMPROVEMENTS. 

Total length of streets in the city, one hundred and fifty-eight miles, of 
•which nearly twenty-five miles are paved, as follows: asphalt, fourteen 
miles; brick, nearly nine miles; granite, over one mile; Medina stone, over 
one-half mile. Total cost of paving, $1,800,000. Eighty-three miles of streets 
are graded and graveled, and fifty miles are unimproved. 

Thirty-nine miles of sanitary sewers and forty niiles of storm sewers have 
been laid, at a cost of $495,000. 

COMMERCIAL AND INDUSTRIAL. 

Board of Trade.— Officers, : president, first vice-president, second vice-pres- 
ident, secretary, treasurer, fifteen directors. 

National Banks.— Seven, with combined capital of $2,500,000, and cash assets 
of over $3,000,000; a clearing-house. 

Building and Loan Associations. — Seventeen, with combined capital amount- 
ing to $43,350,000. 

Fire -Insurance Companies (Home).— Seven, with Investment of $700,000, 
and net assets amounting to $1,213,204; one underwriters' association. 

Incm-porated Companies.— One hundred and seventy, with capital stock of 
over $25,000,000. 



COMMERCIAL AND INDUSTRIAL 



229 



Builders^ Exchange. — Officers: president, first vice-president, second vice- 
president, secretary, treasurer. 

Gas Company. 

Natural Gas Company. 

Electric lAght Company. 

Telegraph and Cable Companies. — Two. 

District Telegraph Company. 

Telephone Exchange. 

Railivays. — Eleven, witli sixty-four passenger trains daily. 

Manufactivring Estahlishments. — Number, about one thousand; capital in- 
vested in 1894, $11,650,043; value of manufactured products, 1894, $10,163,913.60; 
wages paid, 1894, $2,176,156.15. In number of factories, in capital invested in 
manufacturing industries, and in wages paid, Dayton ranks as the third 
city in the State; in value of manufactured products, fourth. 

POSTOFFICE STATISTICS, 1895. 

Postage Receipts $178,451.08 

Expenses of Office $74,648.98 

Number of Money Orders Issued 19,852 

Value of Money Orders Issued $154,367.35 

Number of Money Orders Paid 60,058 

Value of Money Orders Paid $333,093.77 

Pieces of First-Class Mail Received 4,480,000 

Piecesof All Other Classes Received 3,948,800 

Special Letters Received 9,831 

Pieces of First-Class Mail Dispatched 7,620,907 

Pieces of All Other Classes Dispatched 7,054,850 

Special Letters Dispatched 6,257 

Registered Letters and Parcels Received 40,920 

Registered Letters and Parcels Dispatched 19,742 

Total Number Pieces Received and Dispatched 23,120,645 

Weight in Pounds of Second-Class Matter Mailed by Publishers... 47,441 

Number of Carriers 40 

Mail Trains Arriving Daily 39 

Mail Trains Departing Daily 42 



PARTIAL ENUMERATION OF MERCANTILE, MANUFACTTTRING, AND OTHER 

BUSINESS CONCERNS. 



Abstracters of Titles 4 

Agricultural Implements, Deal- 
ers 10 

Agricultural Implements, Mfs.. 6 

Architects 10 

Architectural Iron, Manuf 1 

Art Glass 1 

Artificial Flowers 1 

Artificial Stone Pavements 2 

Artists 22 

Asbestos Packing and Mill 

Boards 1 

Asphalt Pavements 2 

Asphalt Roofing 2 

Attorneys-al-Law 123 



Auctioneers 6 

Autographic Registers, Manuf s. 2 

Awnings, Manufs 4 

Bakeries 50 

Bakers' Supplies ; 1 

Baking- Powder, Munufs 6 

Banks, National 7 

Barber Shops 120 

Barbers' Supplies 1 

Baskets, Manufs 9 

Bicycles, Dealers 13 

Bicycles, Manuf 1 

Blackboards, Slate Stone, Mf.... 1 

Blacking, Manuf 1 

Blacksmith Shops 36 



230 



HISTORICAL AND STATISTICAL TABLES 



Blank Books, Manufs 5 

Boarding-Houses 72 

Boat-Houses o 

Boats, Manuf 1 

Boilers, Steam, Manufs 4 

Bolt and Screw Cases 1 

Bookbinders 

Bookbinders' Machinery, Mf. .. 1 

Book-Cover Dies and Tools 1 

Book Publishers 4 

Booksellers and Stationers 10 

Boot- and Shoe-Makers llo 

Boots and Shoes, Retail 40 

Boots and Shoes, Wholesale 1 

Boxes, Man uf 1 

Brass-Founders 3 

Brass Goods 2 

Brass Stamps 2 

Breweries 17 

Brick, Manufs 11 

Bricklayers 17 

Brickmaking Machinery 1 

Brokers 18 

Brooms, Man uf s 11 

Brushes, Manufs 2 

Building and Loan Associations 17 

Candy, Manufs 4 

Candy-Molds, Manuf 1 

Canning Factory 1 

Carbon, Manuf 1 

Car-Furnishings, Manuf 1 

Carpenters and Builders US 

Carpet Cleaners 7 

Carpet Dealers 14 

Carpet Weavers 11 

Carriages and Buggies, Dealers.. 4 

Carriages and Buggies, Manufs. 9 

Cars, Railroad, Manuf 1 

Cash Registers, Manuf 1 

Caterers 2 

Cement Pavements lo 

Chain, Manufs 2 

Chairs, Manuf 1 

China and Queensware Dealers. 10 

Church Furniture 1 

Cigar-Boxes, Manufs 3 

Cigar Dealers 53 

Cigars, Manufs 58 

Cistern Builders 5 

Civil Engineers 6 

Clearing-House 1 

Clergymen 135 

Clothing Dealers 27 



Clothing Renovators 19 

Coal Dealers 40 

Coal Miners 4 

Cold Storage 1 

Commercial Colleges 2 

Commission Merchants 11 

Confectioners, Retail 55 

Confectioners, Wholesale 10 

Cooper Shops 7 

Coppersmith 1 

Corsets, Manufs 3 

Cotton Batting 1 

Daily Markets 112 

Dairies 25 

Dental Electrical Specialties — 1 

Dentists 31 

Detective Agency 1 

Dressmakers 300 

Druggist, Wholesale 1 

Druggists and Apothecaries 55 

Dry Goods, Retail 44 

Dry Goods, Wholesale 4 

Dye Houses 2 

Electric Construction and Sup- 
plies 5 

Electric Light Company 1 

Electric Supplies, Dealer 1 

Electrical Engineers 2 

Electrical Goods, Manuf 1 

Electrotypers 2 

Employment Agency 1 

Engravers 6 

Express Companies 7 

Fancy Goods 8 

Fans, Ventilating 1 

Feed Stores 32 

Fences, Manufs 4 

File-Cases, Manuf 1 

Files, Manufs 2 

Fire-Alarm Operators 1 

Fire-Brick and Clay 4 

Flavor! ng Extracts 2 

Flax-Mill 1 

Florists 18 

Flour-Mills 9 

Freight Lines 9 

Fresco Artists 2 

Fruit-Growers 11 

Fruits, Retail 10 

Fruits, Wholesale 6 

Furnaces, Warm Air 7 

Furniture, Dealers 16 

Furniture, INIanuf s 5 



COMMERCIAL AND INDUSTRIAL 



231 



Furniture-Cars 12 

Galvanized Iron Cornices 6 

Gas-Burners and Appliances. .. 1 

Gas Company 1 

Gas Company, Natural 1 

Gas-Englne, Manufs 3 

Gas-Fitters and Fixtures 15 

Gas-Machine, Manuf 1 

Gas Range and Heater, Manuf. 1 

Gasoline Stove, Manuf 1 

Grain Dealers 5 

Grain Elevator 1 

Grocers, Retail 307 

Grocers, Wholesale 9 

Guns, Pistols, etc 2 

Gunsmiths 3 

Hardware and Cutlery 12 

Hardware, Wholesale 4 

Harness and Saddles 17 

Hats and Caps 20 

Hedges 1 

Hotels 19 

House-Furnishing Goods 8 

House-Movers and Raisers 2 

Hubs, Spokes, etc 2 

Hydraulic Machinery 2 

Ice, Dealers 3 

Ice, Manufs 2 

Ice Cream 13 

Ice and Refrigerator Machin- 
ery , Manuf 1 

Ink, Manuf 1 

Insurance Agents 38 

Insurance Companies, Fire 9 

Insurance Companies, Life 2 

Iron-Founders 10 

Iron Posts, Manuf 1 

Iron- and Wood-Working Ma- 
chinery 1 

Jewelers : . . 26 

Justices of the Peace 4 

Kindergartens 3 

Lamps and Lamp Goods 1 

Lasts, Manufs 2 

Laundries 17 

Leather and Findings 2 

Lime, Plaster, and Cement 11 

Linseed- and Cotton -Oil Ma- 

chinerj' 2 

Linseed Oil, Manufs 4 

Lithographers 3 

Livery-Stables 36 

Loan Agents 6 



Loan Offices 5 

Locksmiths 2 

Lum ber Dealers 15 

Machine Knives, Manuf 1 

Machine Tools 2 

Machinists 15 

Machinists' Tools 1 

Malleable Iron Works 1 

Mantels and Grates 4 

Marble Dust 1 

Marble Q,uarry 1 

Marble Works 8 

Mattresses, Manufs 4 

Meats, Wholesale 2 

Mechanics' Tools 3 

Medicines, Patent 19 

Men's Furnishing Goods 32 

Mercantile Agencies 3 

Milk Depots 8 

Mill Supplies 4 

Millinei-s, Retail 41 

Milliners, Wholesale 2 

Mineral Water, Manufs 2 

Mittens, Manuf 1 

Model Makers 2 

Motor, Water, Manuf 1 

Music Colleges 2 

Music Publisher 1 

Music Teachers •. 80 

Musical Instruments, Dealers.. 5 

News Depots 8 

Notaries Public 114 

Notions, Retail 20 

Notions, Wholesale 5 

Novelties, Man uf s 2 

Nozzles, Man uf s 2 

Nurseries 6 

N urses 37 

Oculists and Aurists 3 

Oils 15 

Opticians 5 

Overalls, Manufs 3 

Oysters, Fish, and Game 7 

Pails, Manuf 1 

Paint, Manuf I 

Painters, House and Sign 73 

Paints, Oils, etc 7 

Pants, Manufs 3 

Paper, Dealers 3 

Paper, Manufs 7 

Paper Bags 1 

Paper-Box Makers' Machinery. 1 

Paper Boxes, Manufs 2 



232 



HISTORICAL AND STATISTICAL TABLES 



Paper Hangers 27 

Paper Hangings 17 

Paper-Mill Machinery 1 

Paper and Wooden Plate, Mf.... 1 

Parquetry Floors 1 

Patent Attorneys 3 

Patent Solicitors 2 

Pattern-Makers 11 

Pension Attorneys 2 

Pension Claim Agents 3 

Perfumery, Manuf 1 

Photographers 17 

Photographers' Supplies 2 

Physicians 147 

Pianos and Organs 7 

Pictures and Picture Frames. .. 9 

Planing-Mills 8 

Plasterers 21 

Plows, Manufs 2 

Plumbers 15 

Pork Packers 4 

Potteries 2 

Poultry Dealers 2 

Printers, Book and Job 26 

Pumps 8 

Putty, Manuf 1 

Rags, Metals, etc 7 

Railroad Ticket Brokers 3 

Railway Cars, Manuf 1 

Railway Supplies, Manuf 1 

Real Estate 62 

Restaui'ants 23 

Ropes and Cordage 1 

Rubber Goods 1 

Rubber Stamps 3 

Safe Deposit Companies 2 

Saloons 399 

Sash, Doors, and Blinds, Manufs 9 

Sawmills 2 

Saws, Manufs 2 

Scales, Computing, Manuf 1 

School Furniture, Manuf 1 

Screws, Manuf 1 

Sculptors 2 

Sealing-Wax, Manuf 1 

Second-Hand Stores 2 

Seeds 4 

Sewer Pipe 7 

Sewing-Machines, Dealers 15 

Sewing-Machines, Manuf 1 

Sheet-Iron Workers 3 

Shirts, Manufs 6 

Shoes, Manuf I 



Showcase Dealers 2 

Sign Painters 10 

Soap, Manufs 6 

Spice-Mills 5 

Spraying-Machines, Manufs 2 

Stained Glass 1 

Stair-Builder 1 

Stationers 12 

Steam-Engine Builders 3 

Steam-Fitters 7 

Steamship Agents 3 

Stencils 2 

Stenographers 6 

Stock Yard 1 

Stocliings, Manuf 1 

Stone-Cutters' Tools, Manufs. .. 3 

Stonemasons 22 

Stone-Quarries 3 

Stoneware 2 

Stone- Yards 5 

Storage 4 

Stove-Polish, Manuf 1 

Stoves, Manufs 3 

Stoves and Tinware, Dealers... 35 

Straw-Boards, Manuf 1 

Street-Cars, Manuf 1 

Street Contractors 16 

Street- Paving Contractors 2 

Street Sprinklers 7 

Subscription Books 3 

Sweeping-Machines, Manuf 1 

Switch and Car Locks, Mauuf .. 1 

Table-Slides, Blanuf 1 

Tablets, Manuf 1 

Tags, Manuf 1 

Tailors, Merchant 38 

Teas and Coffees, Retail 10 

Teas and Coffees, Wholesale.. .. 1 

Telegraph Companies 3 

Telephone Company 1 

Telephone Construction 1 

Theaters 2 

Tinware 10 

Tobacco, Leaf 22 

Tobacco, Manufs 3 

Tobacco Machinery 1 

Toilet Articles, Manuf 1 

Toys 3 

Transfer Companies 2 

Trunk INIaterials 1 

Trunks, Valises, etc 4 

Twines and Cordage 2 

Typewriters 3 



CHRONOLOGICAL RECORD 233 

Umbrellas, Manuf 1 Wheels, Manuf 1 

Undertakers 10 White Lead, Manuf 1 

United States Commissioner.. . . 1 Wind Engines 1 

Uphols'terers 10 Window Glass 2 

Varnish, Manufs 2 WindowShades 3 

Veterinary Hospital 1 Wood Dealers 11 

Veterinary Surgeons 4 Wood- and Iron- Working Ma- 
Wagon-Makers 26 chinery 1 

Washing-Machines, Manuf 1 Wood Mantels, Manuf 1 

Water-Supply 2 Wood and Willow Ware 2 

Water-Wheels, Manufs 2 Yeast, Manufs 3 

CHRONOLOGICAL RECORD. 

1749— French Major Celoron de Bienville ascended the La Roche or Big Miami 
River. 

1751 — Gist visited the Twightwee or Miami villages. 

1780— General George Rogers Clark led an expedition against the Indians of 
the JNliami region, one of his officers being Colonel Robert Patterson. 

1782 — November 9, A skirmish between American soldiers under General 
Clark and the Indians on the site of Dayton, in which the Amer- 
icans were victorious. 

1786 — Americans under Colonel Logan again defeated the Indians on the site 
of Dayton, one of the brigades being commanded by Colonel Robert 
Patterson. 

1789 — Plans formed for a town named Venice on the site of Dayton. 

1795 — August 3, A treaty of peace made with the Indians at Greenville, Ohio, 
by General Wayne — August 20, The site of Dayton purchased by 
Generals St. Clair, Dayton, and Wilkinson, and Colonel Ludlow — 
November, The town laid out by Colonel Israel Ludlow. 

1796— April 1, Arrival of first settlers, by the Miami River, landing at the 
head of St. Clair Street; two other parties coming a few days later 
by land — Newcom's first log cabin built. 

1798 — First sermon preached in Dayton by Rev. John Kobler, of the Metho- 
dist Episcopal Church — First Methodist Episcopal class, now Grace 
Church, organized, with eight members — Newcom's Tavern built — 
Taxes paid, 829.74. 

1799— First Presbyteriah Church organized — Blockhouse built— First school 
opened — First industi'ies established, consisting of distillery, saw- 
mill, and corn-cracker mill — First lime made — First flatboat left 
for New Orleans — Dayton three years old and contained nine cabins 
—Only two houses on Main Street— D. C. Cooper appointed justice 
of the peace. 

1800— Presbyterian meeting-house, eighteen by twenty feet in size, built of 
logs, on northeast corner of Main and Third streets — August 28, 
First wedding in Dayton, that of Benjamin Van Cleve and Mary 
Whitten —April 14, First child born in Dayton, Jane Newcom — First 
store opened, in Newcom's Tavern. 

1801- First male child born in Dayton, John W. Van Cleve. 

1802— Only five families in Dayton — Ohio admitted into the Union. 

1803 — D. C. Cooper resuscitated the town — Montgomery County organized — 
Dayton made the county-seat — First court held in Dayton — New- 
com's Tavern used as court-house, jail, church, and country store. 



234 HISTORICAL AND STATISTICAL TABLES 

1804— Postoffice and mail-route established — Benjamin Van Cleve, first post- 
master — Mail every two weeks, between Cincinnati and Detroit, via 
Dayton — Letter postage twenty to twentj--five cents— Log jail built 
on Court-house lot— Fii'st grist-mill erected— Taxes for the year, 
$458.40. 

1805 — The town of Dayton incorporated — First town election held — Presby- 
terian log meeting-house sold for twenty-two dollars and services 
continued in log tavern — Dayton Social Library Society incorpo- 
rated — First brick building erected — First disastrous flood. 

1806— First Court-house built, of brick, on present Court-house lot — Two 
brick stores erected — First newspaper published. 

1807— Dayton Academy incorporated. 

1808— First brick residence built — 196 votes cast— Repertory first published. 

1809— Freight line of keel-boats established between Dayton, Laramie, and 
St. Marj''s — Fourth of July celebrated with a procession— First 
drug-store opened — First political convention in the county. 

1810— Population, 383— New sidewalks ordered by Select Council— O/w'o Centi- 
nel first published. 

1811— Nine flatboats left for New Orleans, with products of the surrounding 
country — A comet visible, and severe earthquake shocks felt. 

1812— A company enlisted for the War of 1812— Ohio militia encamped in 
Daj'ton. 

1813 — First society of mechanics organized — First Dayton bank chartered — 
August 13, Present Grand Opera_House lot, on southeast corner of 
Main and First streets, purchased by James Steele and Joseph 
Peirce for twenty dollars. 

1814 — First Methodist church completed — Ferry began to operate at Ludlow 
Street — Ohio Republican first published — First Dayton bank opened 
for business — A flood. 

1815 — Dayton Female Charitable and Bible Society organized — First market- 
house opened — About one hundred dwellings in Dayton, chiefly log 
cabins— Moral Society and Society of Associated Bachelors formed 
— First school for girls opened. 

1816 — First theater held in Dayton— O/iio Watchman first published. 

1817 — New Court-house finished — Presbyterians erected a brick church — 
St. Thomas Episcopal Parish organized — Bridge across Mad River 
built — Bridge Street Bridge Company incorporated — First Sabbath- 
School Association organized — Only two carriages owned in Dayton. 

1818 — Stage-coach line began to run between Dayton and Cincinnati. 

1819 — A keel-boat arrived from Cincinnati — St. Thomas Episcopal Church 
organized — An African lion exhibited at Reid's Inn — Bridge at 
Bridge Street completed. 

1820— Cooper's Mills burned — Population, 1,000. 

1822— Montgomery County Bible Society organized — Lancasterian method of 
instruction introduced — The Gridiron jiublished- Seven flatboats 
and one keel-boat left for New Orleans. 

1823 — Miami Republican and Dayton Advertiser first published. 

1824— First Baptist Church organized— First cotton factory erected, by Thomas 
Clegg. 

1825 — Law passed authorizing the construction of a canal from Dayton to 
Cincinnati — Stage-line established between Columbus, Dayton, and 
Cincinnati— 497 passengers by stage passed through Dayton during 
the year. 



CHRONOLOGICAL RECORD 235 

1826— The Watchman and Miami Republican consolidated, and named the 
Ohio National Journal and Montgom^ery and Dayton Advertiser, after- 
ward becoming the Dayton Journal. 

1827— First volunteer Are company organized— Baptist society built a church. 

1828— Water first turned intothecanal — First canal-boat launched — Twenty 
stage-coaches arrived every week — First iron foundry established, 
now the Globe Iron Works — A flood. 

1829— First arrival of canal-boats from Cincinnati — First temperance society 
formed — A new market-house built — Last factory established, now 
Crawford, McGregor & Canby's Dayton Last Works— Steele's dam 
constructed — A majority of the First Baptist Church established a 
Campbellite church, now the Church of Christ. 

1830 — Population, 2,954 — Dayton Republican first published. 

1831 — First public school opened — Christ Church Parish organized — 'First 
Catholic family arrived in Dayton — R. C. Schenck began practice 
of law in Dayton. 

1832 — A fugitive slave captured in Dayton — First Board of Health appointed 
— Fifty-one brick and sixty-two wooden houses built — A silk man- 
ufactory established — Dayton Lyceum organized — First parochial 
school opened— A flood— Mad River & Lake Erie Railroad Company 
incorporated. 

1833— First Reformed Church organized — Mechanics' Institute organized — 
Population, 4,000 — Thirty-three deaths from cholera. 

\9,'ii~ Democratic Herald first published — Police Department organized. 

1835— Firemen's Insurance Company chartered. 

1836 — Main Street bridge opened for travel — First book published. 

1837— Emmanuel Catholic Church dedicated. 

1838 — The " public square," now Cooper Park, prepared for and planted with 
trees — Convention held in the interest of free schools — Dayton and 
Springfield turnpike constructed- Montgomery County Agricul- 
tural Society organized — Erection of public school-houses ordered. 

1839— Dayton Township first divided into election precincts — First county 
agricultural fair held — Dayton Silk Company organized, with capital 
of $100,000— First English Lutheran Church organized. 

1840 — Harrison campaign — General Harrison visited Dayton — Dayton JimrnaZ 
began to issue first daily paper— Emmanuel Church of the Evangel- 
ical Association organized — Population, 6,067 — Paper-mill established 
— Montgomery County Mutual Fire Insurance Company organized. 

1841 — Dayton incorporated as a city — The works of W. P. Callahan & Com- 
pany established. 

1842 — Western Empire, now Dayton Times, established. , 

1843 — Woodland Cemetery opened — John Quincy Adams entertained — Bank 
of Dayton chartered by the State Legislature. 

1844 — St. Henry's Cemetery opened. 

1845— Bank of Dayton ( a State bank ), now the Dayton National Bank, organ- 
ized — Dayton Bank, to which the Winters National Bank traces its 
origin, organized. 

1846— Dayton furnished soldiers for the Mexican War. 

1847— Disastrous flood — Dayton Library Association organized — First United 
Brethren Church organized — First telegraph message received. 

1849— Two hundred and twenty-five deaths from cholera— The Barney & 
Smith Car Works established — Dayton lighted by gas— St. Mary's 
Institute founded — W. C. Ho wells purchased the Dayton Transcript. 



236 HISTORICAL AND STATISTICAI, TABLES 

1850 — Central High School established — Present old Court-house completed 

— City Bank and Farmers' Bank opened — D. L. Rike, now the Rike 
Dry Goods Company, began business — First Hebi-ew Congregation 
organized — Population, 10,976. 

1851 — First railroad, from Dayton to Springfield completed— Cincinnati, 
Hamilton & Dayton Railway completed to Dayton — First passenger 
station located at noi'theast corner of Jefierson and Sixth streets — 
Miami Valley Bank established — Dayton Insurance Comiiany 
organized — Hebrew cemetery opened. 

1852 — Probate Court of Montgomery County first opened — Southern Ohio 
Insane Asylum located at Dayton — Exchange Bank, successor of the 
Dayton Bank, opened — Dayton &Union Railroad opened for traflic. 

1853 — United Brethren Publishing House, established in 1834 at Circleville, 
Ohio, removed to Dayton — Dayton & Western Railroad opened. 

1854— First Orthodox Congregational Society organized. 

1855 — Public Library established — The works of Pinneo & Daniels estab- 
lished. 

1856 — Union Passenger Station erected. 

1857 — Old Central High School building erected. 

1859 — Stomps-Burlvhardt chair factory established. 

1860 — Miami Commercial College established — Population, 20,081. 

1861-65— Dayton furnished to the United States service 2,099 soldiers; under 
special calls of the State, 965; grand total ot Dayton men in the 
service, 3,664. 

1862 — Lowe Brothers' paint factory founded. 

1863 — First National Bank, now the City National Bank, established — Sec- 
ond National Bank chartered — Miami Valley Insurance Company 
organized — First steam fire-engine purchased — Vallandigham av- 
rested^ Journal office burned — Dayton & Michigan Railroad opened. 

1864 — Umpire ofllce mobbed — The Brownell Company began business. 

1865 — Mianai Valley Boiler Works established — Teutonia Insurance Com- 
pany organized — Ohio Insurance Company began business — Atlan- 
tic & Great Western Railroad, now the New York, Pennsylvania & 
Ohio, formed by the consolidation of several roads. 

1866 — Great destruction by flood— National Soldiers' Home located near 
Dayton — Stilwell & Bierce Manufacturing Company began business 

— Volks-ZcUung established — Christian Publishing Association, estab- 
lished in 1843, reincorporated and located in Dayton. 

1867— Central Branch National Military Home established near Dayton — 
Dayton Building Association No. 1 organized — Montgomery County 
Children's Home founded — Cooper Insurance Company incorpo- 
rated. 

1868— McHose & Lyon Architectural Iron Works established — John Dodds 
began to manufacture agricultural implements. 

1869— First strcetrrailway constructed, on Third Street — Normal School 
opened — Dayton Malleable Iron Company incorporated— Thresher 
& Company began to manufacture varnish — Sunday, May 10, 1 a.m., 
Turner's Opera House and adjoining buildings burned; loss, $500,000; 
insurance, $128,000. 

1870— Holly Water- Works established— Young Men's Christian Association 
organized— Woman's Christian Association organized — Population, 
30,473— Cincinnati "Short Line" Railroad, now apart of the Cleve- 
land, Cincinnati, Chicago & St. Louis Railroad, incorporated. 



CHRONOLOGICAL RECORD 237 

1871 — Union Biblical Seminary opened— Merchants National Bank incorpo- 

rated—Wayne and Fifth Street Railway and Dayton View Street- 
Railway chartered. 

1872 — Calvary Cemetery opened. 

1873— Metropolitan police force organized— Mutual Home and Savings Asso- 
ciation organized. 

1874 — Philharmonic Society organized — New Jail completed — Smith & Vaile 
Company began business. 

1875 — J. \V. Stoddard & Company began business. 

1877— Free night schools established— Crume & Sefton Manufacturing Com- 
pany established — Dayton & Southeastern Railroad, now the Cin- 
cinnati, Dayton & Ironton, opened. 

1878 — St. Elizabeth Hospital founded — WoodhuU's carriage and buggy works 
established. 

1879— Dayton Daily Herald first published. 

1880— Fifth Street Railway Company incorporated — Population, 38,678. 

1881 — St. Elizabeth Hospital erected. 

1882— Third National Bank chartered —Columbia Insurance Company organ- 
ized— Reformed Publishing Company organized. 

1883 — Serious flood — Montgomery County Bar Association organized — Elec- 
tric light introduced — Dayton INlanufacturing Company incorpo- 
rated—Historical Publishing Company incorporated. 

1884— New Court-house completed — National Cash Register Company organ- 
ized—Montgomery Countj' Soldiers' Monument dedicated — Ohio 
Rake Company incorporated. 

1886— A destructive flood, damaging West Dayton. 

1887— White Line Street-Railway, the first operated by electricity, constructed 
— Union Safe Deposit and Trust Company incorporated — Pasteur- 
Chamberland Filter Company incorporated — Board of Trade organ- 
ized. 

1888 — New Public Librarj' building occupied — Fourth National Bank incor- 
porated — Davis Sewirig-Machine Company removed to Dayton — 
First street-paving laid, on East Fifth Street. 

1889— Woman's Literary Club organized — Natural gas introduced— Teutonia 
National Bank chartered. 

1890 — Protestant Deaconess Society organized — First sanitary sewers laid — 
Lorenz & Conapany, music publishers, began business — Population, 
61,220. 

1891 — Dayton Computing Scale Company incorporated — Dayton Under- 
writers' Association incorporated — Deaconess Society opened a 
temporary hospital — Dayton Press established. 

1892— Columbian Centennial celebrated — Seybold Machine Company incor- 
porated. 

1893— New High School building completed— Thresher Electrical Company 
began business. 

1894 — Deaconess Hospital completed and dedicated — Police matron appointed. 

1895 — All street railways except one operated by electricity — Dayton Traction 
Company began to operate its line — Present Day Club organized — 
Young Women's League organized. 

1896 — Manual-training school opened — Population, about 80,000— Sixty-four 
passenger trains daily— April 1, Centennial celebration begun. 



238 BIBLIOGRAPHY 



BIBLIOGRAPHY. 

BiiACK, Alexander. Story of Ohio. Boston. 1888. 

Brown, Ashlev. History of Dayton in the History of Monlgomei-y County, 
Ohio. Chiicago. 1882. 

CtJRWEN, Maskell E. a Sketch of the History of Dayton. 1850. 

Howe, Hen icy. Historical Collecliojis of Ohio. 1847. 

The Same. Revised and enlarged. 2 vols. Columbus. 1889. 

King, Rufus. History of Ohio. Boston. 1888. 

Newspapers from 1808 to 1896, on file in Dayton Public Library. 

Records of the Dayton Academy. 1808-1047. MS. 

Steele, Robert W. Historical Sketch of the Dayton Schools. 
Histm-ical Sketch of the Woodland Cemetery Association. 1875. 

Steele, Robert W., and Steele, Mary Da vies. Early Dayton. 300 pp., 
12mo. Dayton, Ohio: W. J. Shuey, United Brethren Publishing 
House. 1896. 

Steele, Robert W., Wooldridge, J., and Others. History of Dayton, Ohio. 
728 pp., quarto. Dayton, Ohio : W. J. Shuey, United Brethren 
Publishing House. 1889. 

Van Cleve, Benjamin. Memoranda. MS. 

Van Cleve, John W. Brief History of the Settlonent of the Touni of Dayton. 
Published in Journal of Historical and Philosophical Society of 
Ohio, page 73. 

iVbto.— For a more complete bibliography see Catalogue of the Dayton Public 
Library. 



INDEX 



INDEX 



Abolitionists mobbed, 94, 95. 
Academy, Dayton, 92, 145. 
Adams, John Quincy, 183. 
Anderson, Governor Charles, 186, 205. 
Antislavery society, 94. 
Asbury, Bishop, 127. 
Associated Bachelors' Society, 132, 133. 
Asylum, 227. 

Bacon, Henry, 93. 
Bacon, Richard, 108. 
Baker, Aaron, 93, 94, 127, 128, 133. 
Banlts, 90, 126, 18.5, 199, 228, 234 et seq. 
Baptist Church, First, 149, 191. 
Bar of Dayton, 1S6, 187. 
Barney, E. E., 90, 92, 165, 184, 199. 
Bartholomew, Jean, 184. 
Battles on site of Dayton, 19, 20. 
Benevolent and charitable institu- 
tions, 130, 194, 195, 226, 227. 
Benham, Captain, 40, 41, 45. 
Bibliography, 2;^. 
Bickham, Major W. D., 197. 
Bienville, Major Celoron de, 17. 
"Black Ben," 94. 
Blockhouse, 34. 
Board of City Affairs, 221. 
Board of Education, 222. 
Board ot Elections, 222. 
Board of Equalization, 222. 
Board of Health, 159, 223. 
Board of Trade, 228. 
Bomberger, Mrs. Sarah, 136, 137. 
Bonded debt, 224, 225. 
Bridges, 88, 89, 136, 161. 
Brown, Ashley, 67, 238. 
Brown, Henry, .32, 96. 
Brown, Henry L., 32, 160. 
Brown, Thomas, 109, 189. 
Bruen, Luther, 93, 94, 207. 
Builders' Exchange, 229. 

16 241 



Building and loan associations, 197, 

228. 
Burnet, Isaac G., 110, 128. 
Business men in " the thirties," 165. 

Cabins, 24, ns, 51, 52. 

Cabintown, 1.54. 

Calvary Cemetery, 186. 

Campbell, James, 184. 

Canal, Miami and Erie, 150 ei seq., 221. 

Canal-boat, first, built in Dayton, 151. 
first to arrive, 1.52. 

Carpet manufacture, 173. 

Cass, General, 119. 

Catholic church, Franklin Street, 191. 

Catholic family, first, 191. 

Cemeteries, 61, 71, 72, 183, 186. 

Centennial of Dayton, 29. 

Centinel, Ohio, 109, 110, 120. 

Central High School, 181. 

Charitable and benevolent institu- 
tions, 130, 194, 195, 226, 227. 

Chase, Governor, 193. 

Children's Home, 194, 227. 

Chillicothe, 78. 

Cholera, 1.59, 192. 

Chronological record, 2.33 et seq. 

Churches, 191, 22.5. 

Cincinnati, 21, 22, 2.3, 25, .51, 1.38, 1.39, 216, 
221. 

City government and institutions, 
221 et seq. 

City Infirmary, 224. 

Civil War, Dayton in the, 202 ct seq, 

Clark, General George Rogers, 19. 

Clay, Henry, 178, 18;^. 

Clegg, Thomas, 108, 234. 

Cleveland, 1.39. 

Clinton, Governor DeWitt, 1.50. 

Clubs, 196, 227. 

Colonization society formed, 94. 



242 



INDEX 



Colored people left lor Hayti, 91. 
Columbian Centennial, 196. 
Columbus, 139, 221. 
Comet of 1811, 110. 
Comly, R. N., 75, 148. 
Comly, W. F., 75, 148. 
Commercial and industrial, 228 e< seq. 
Commercial colleges, 226. 
Compton's Tavern, 150. 
Conestoga wagons, 103. 
Congregational Church, First, 236. 
Conover, Obadiah B., 93, 94, 114, 133. 
Cooper, D. C, 20, 21, 29, 30, 65, 79, 87, 
92, 111, 133. 

becomes titular proprietor of Day- 
ton, 30, 63. 

his improvements and liberality, 
30, 31. 
Cooper, David Zeigler, 163, 164. 
Cooper Female Seminary, 184. 
Cooper Hydraulic, 172. 
Cooper Park, 26, 30, 119, 164, 190, 196. 
Corwin, Thomas, 179. 
Council, Town, 109, 163, 164. 

City, 222. 
Court-house, 89, 135, 185. 
Cox, Miss, 184. 

Crane, Judge Joseph H., 70, 78, 80, 81, 
106, 108, 109, 121, 133, 179, 186, 187. 

quoted, 90. 
Curwen, quoted, 27, 55, 59, 61, 67, 104, 176, 
193, 194. 

History of Dayton, 67, 68, 238. 
Cut money, 60. 

Darst, Abram, 100, 141, 165. 
Davies, Edward W., 98, 108, 162. 
Davis, Dr. John, 190. 
Dayton, site purchased, 20. 

laid out, 21. 

named, 21. 

settled, 21-25. 

in 1800-1805, 25. 

made county-seat, 55, 64. 

incorporated, as a towii, 83. 
as a city, 23;5. 

location and area, 221. 

population, 221. 

governnaent and institutions, 221 
et seq. 

from 1840 to 1896, 183 et seq. 

in the Civil War, 202 et seq. 
Dayton, General Jonathan, 20, 29, 216. 



Dayton Academy, 92, 145. 
Dayton bank, first, 90, 126. 
Dayton Female Charitable and Bible 

Society, 130. 
Dayton Foreign Missionary Society, 

144. 
Dayton Library Association, 190. 
Dayton Lyceum, 160. 
Dayton Social Library Society, 84. 
Dayton Temperance Society, 153. 
Dayton View Hydraulic, 157. 
De Bienville, 17. 
Deaconess Hospital, 195, 196, 226. 
Debt, bonded, 224, 225. 
Detroit, 78. 

Dickson, Miss Mary G., 184. 
Disbrow, Henry, 99, 105, 106. 
Doddridge, quoted, 33. 
Dover, Mrs. Thomas, 35. 
Doyle, Major, 46. 
Drake, Dr., quoted, 25. 
Dunlevy, Hon. Francis, 55. 

Eaker, William, 101, 102, 109. 

Earthquakes, 110. 

Edgar, Robert., 31, 100. 

Election, first town, 64. 

Electric light, 193. 

Elliott, Dr. John, 25, 84, 97. 

Emerson Club, 106, 227. 

Empire office mobbed, 207. 

Engle, George, 108. 

Episcopal Church, St. Thomas, 140. 

Christ, 140. 
Este, Dr. Charles, 107. 
Evangelical Association, Emmanuel 
Church, 235. 

Fales, Stephen, 108. 

Ferries, 88, 89, 128. 

Findlay, Rev. James B., 92. 

Fire Department, 140-144, 194, 223. 

Fire-hunting, 59. 

Fire-insurance companies, 197, 228. 

Fires, 133, 140, 141, 142, 143. 

First book published, 235. 

First brick building, 84. 

First brick residence erected, 96. 

First bridge. 136. 

First business house erected, 32. 

First canal-boat built, 151. 

First child born, 53. 

First county court, 55, 64. 



INDEX 



243 



First county fair, 173. 

First court-liouse, 54, 55. 

First court-house built, 89. 

First drug-store, 109. 

First flatboat to New Orleans, 33. 

First flood, 86. 

First graveyard, 6J. 

First industries established, 61, 233. 

First jail, M. 

First Jail built, CG. 

First justice of fhe Jjeace, 61. 

First library in Ohio, 84. 

First lime made, 53. 

First male child born, 67. 

First market-house, 131. 

First mayor, 92. 

First mechanics' society, 125. 

First meeting-house, 61. 

First mill built, 61. 

First minister, 26. 

First musical society, 71. 

First newspaper, 89. 

First passenger station, 236. 

First postmaster, 34, 78. 

First postoflice, 78. 

First railroad companj' organized, 

168. 
First school, 34. 
First school-teacher, 34. 
First sermon, 26, 238. 
First settlers, 21. 
First store opened, 32. 
First street-railwaj', 194. 
First telegraph message, 193. 
First temperance society, 153. 
First theater, 133, 134. 
First town election, 64. 
First wedding, 57. 
Fish, 138. 
Flatboating, 104. 

Flint, Rev. Timothy, quoted, 132. 
Floods, 86, 158, 192. 
Folkerth, John, 84, 92, 109. 
Forrer, Samuel, 99, 170, 171. 
quoted, 99, 127, 137, 177. 
Fort Greenville, 48. 
Fort Hamilton, 25, 30, 32, 40, 42, 54, 

216. 
Fort Jefferson, 40, 42. 
Fort Washington, 40, 42, 214, 215. 
Fort Wayne, 78. 
Fourth of July celebrations, 106-109, 

146. 



Franklin, 78, 139. 

Friday Afternoon Club, 196, 227. 

Game, 138. 

Gano, General, 119. 

Gano, John Stites, 20. 

Gas, 193. 

Gas, natural, 197. 

Gebhart, Frederick, 199, 200. 

Gebhart, George, 199. 

Gebhart, Herman, 199. 

George, William, 78, 79. 

Gist, 17, 18. 

quoted, 18. 
Glass, Francis, 146. 
Glassmire, Abraham, 21, 22, 33. 
Goforth, AVilliam, 20. 
Greene, Q'harles Russell, 87, 88, 109, 

112. 
Greenville, Fort, 48. 
Greenville, treaty of, 20. 
Greer, Rear- Admiral, 209. 
Oridiron, 146. 

Grimes, Alexander, 98, 149. 
Grimes, Colonel John, 98. 
Grimes's Tavern, 98, 107. 
Gunckel, Hon. Lewis B., 187. 

••H. H."Club, 196,227. 
Haines, Dr. Job, 93, 130, 141, 190. 
Hamer, William, 21, 128. 
Hamilton, Alexander, 214, 215. 
Hamilton, Fort, 25, 30, 32, 40, 42, 54, 

216. 
Hamilton County, 61. 
Hanna, James, 92. 
Harmar, Fort, 214. 
Harmar, General, 214, 215. 
Harmonia Society, 196, 227. 
Harries, John, 139. 
Harrison, General W. H., 122, 174, 175, 

176, 177, 179. 
Harrison campaign, 174 et seq. 
Harshman, Jonathan, 93, 95, 96, 168, 

175. 
Haynes, Judge Daniel A., 165, 179, 186, 

189. 
Hebrew cemetery, 186. 
Hebrew congregation, first, 191. 
Herald, 198. 
High School, 184, 222. 
Hildreth, cited, 24. 
Historical and statistical tables, 221. 



244 



INDEX 



History of Dayton, material for, 67, 

68, 238. 
Hogs introduced, 33. 
Holt, Colonel Jerome, 64, 109, 123, 124. 
Holt, Judge George B., 147, 149, 165. 
Hospitality, early, 178. 
Hospitals, 115, 195, 196, 226, 227. 
Houk, Adam, 108. 
Houston, George S., 80, 126, 129, 133. 
Howells, W. C, quoted, 51, 52, 59. 
Howells, W. D., quoted, 59, 60. 
Howe's "Historical Collections of 

Ohio," quoted, 170, 171. 
Hufflnan, William, 110, 111, 133, 134. 
Huflinan, William P., 111. 
Hull, General, 120, 121. 
Hunting, 60, 138. 
Hunting-grounds, Indian, 18, 19. 
Hydraulics, 157, 172. 

Improving the town, 163. 
Incorporated companies, 228. 
Incorporation, as a town, 83. 

as a city, 235. 
Indian villages, 17. 
Indians, early experiences with, 27, 

28, 31, 38, 39, 56. 
Indians, wars with, 19, 20. 
Industrial and commercial, 228etscq. 
Infirmary, 224. 

Jackson, Andrew, 185. 
Jail, 54, 126, 127, 185. 
Jefferson, Fort, 40, 42. 
Jennison, William, 167. 
Jewett, Dr. Adams, 190. 
Jewett, Dr. Hibberd, 95, 190. 
Journal, 197. 

office burned, 206. 
Jubilee of the United States, 108, 109. 

Keel-boats, 105. 

Kentucky, incursions from, 18. 

King, Colonel Edward A., 193, 203, 206. 

King, Rufus, quoted, 125. 

King, William, 76, 77, 78. 

Knox, General, 43, 214. 

Kobler, Rev. John, 26, 127, 233. 

La Roche River, 17. 
Lafayette, death of, 162. 
Lancasterian instruction, 14.5. 
Latitude and longitude, 221. 



Levees, 72, 86. 

Libraries, 74, 84, 85, 160, 190, 222. 
Lime first made in Dayton, 53. 
Lincoln, Abraham, 187, 202, 208. 
Literary societies, 196, 227. 
Location and area, 221. 
Log cabin described, 52. 
Log Cabin, 75, 174. 
Logan, Colonel, 19. 
Lowe, Colonel John G., 109, 207. 
'Lowe, Mrs. John G., 113, 114. 
Lowe, Peter P., 108, 147. 
Lowry, David, 33, 102. 
Ludlow, Colonel Israel, 20, 21, 29, 49, 

63, 213 ct seq. 
Lutheran Church, First English, 

191. 

Mad River, 18, 19, 20, 22, 30, 48, 49, .>!, 
62, 172, 173, 221. 

Maennerchor Society, 196, 227. 

Mails, 78, 79, 80. 

Manual-labor school, 155. 

Manual-training school, 184, 222. 

Manufacturing interests, 196, 197, 229 
et seq. 

Marietta, 24. 

Market-house, 181, 153, 154, 224. 

Markets, 171, 172, 224. 

Marriages, early, 62. 

Mayor, 221. 
first, 92. 

McClure, William, 78, 79, 99. 

McCuUum's Tavern, 65, 84, 119, 125. 

McDaniel, Charles A., 209. 

McDaniel, James, 165. 

McDermont, Dr. Clarke, 190. 

McGuffey, Rev. W. H., 165. 

McMalion, Hon. John A., 186. 

McMillan, Gideon, 146. 

McMullin, Captain John, 146. 

Mechanics' Institute, 160. 

Mechanics' society, first, 125. 

Medical profession, 190. 

Medical societies, 129, 130. 

Meigs, Governor, 118 et seq. 

Mercantile interests, 197, 228 etseq. 

Merchants, early, 165. 

Methodist church, first, 127, 128. 

Mexican War, 192, 193. 

Miami City, 18.5. 

Miami Republican and Dayton Adver- 
tiser, 147. 



INDEX 



245 



Miami River, Big, or Great, 17, 18, 22, 
62, 104, 105, 221. 
navigable, 104. 

Miami River, Little, 18, 20, 215. 

Miami Valley, its beauty and fertil- 
ity, 18. 

Miami villages, 17. 

Military companies, 227. 

Military history, 19, 111, 112, 116 et seq., 
192, 193, 202 et seq. 

Mitchell, James H., 92. 

Mobs, 94, 95, 206, 207. 

Money, 60. 

Montgomery County Agricultural 
Fair, first, 173. 

Montgomery County Agricultural 
Society organized, 173. 

Montgomery County Bible Society 
organized, 144. 

Montgomery separated from Hamil- 
ton County, 64. 

Moral Society, 132, 133. 

Morgan's raid, 206. 

Morrison, Thomas, 166, 167, 174. 

Moriis multicaulis, 173. 

Mozart Musical and Literary Society, 
196, 227. 

Mt. Vernon, 139. 

Munger, General, 118, 119, 121. 

Munger, Warren, 139. 

Musical societies, 196, 227. 

National, Guard, 227. 

National Hotel, 153. 

National Military Home, 209, 210, 227. 

Natural advantages of the Miami 

region, 18. 
Natural gas, 197. 

Navigation of Miami River, 104, 105. 
New Orleans a market for Dayton 

produce, 104, 105. 
Newcom, Colonel George, 21, 53-57, 

126, 133. 
Newcom, Mrs. George, 56. 
Newcom's Tavern, 27, 30, 32, 53, 54, 55, 64. 
News, 197. 
Newspapers, 89, 99, 109, 110, 128, 129, 146, 

147, 148, 197, 198, 225. 
Night schools, 222. 
Normal school, 184, 222. 

Odlin, Peter, 109, 168. 

Ohio admitted into the Union, 64. 



Ohio Centinel, 109, 110, 126. 

Ohio Laud Company, 17, 20, 87, 88. 

Ohio JS'iitivnal Journal, 117. 

Ohio Republican, 12S. 

Ohio Watchman, 128, 129. 

Oregon, 185. 

Original settlers, 21, 23, 24. 

Orphans' Home, 194. 

Osborn, Cyrus, 78. 

Pakkott, Colonel E. A., 204. 
Passenger trains, 229, 237. 
Patterson, Colonel Robert, 19, 82, 83, 

108, 216. 
Patterson, JefTerson, 108. 
Patton, Matthew, 99, KK, 141. 
Peirce, Joseph, 80, 106, 111, 133. 
Periodicals, 198, 225. 
Perrine, James, 148. 
Perrine, Jolinson V^., 109. 
Petition to Congress, 62, 63. 
Philharmonic Society, 196, 227. 
Phillips, Horatio G., 108, 111, 112, 137. 
Phillips, J. D., 112, 113, 178, 179. 
Phillips, Mrs. Horatio G., 113. 
Physicians, 190. 
Pioneer life, 33, 51 et seq. 
Pi qua, 17. 

Plats of the town, 64, 75. 
Pleyel Society organized, 71. 
Police Department, 161, 185, 223. 
Police matron appointed, 237. 
Political clubs, 227. 
Political excitement, 158, 159, 161, 192, 

202. 
Population, 221. 
Postage, early, 79, 80. 
Postofflce, 78. 
Postofflce statistics, 229. 
Presbyterian Church, First, Gl, 65, 

107, 108, 174, 191. 
Presbyterian meeting-house, 61, 05. 
Present Day Club, 196, 227. 
Press, see Newspapers. 
Press, 198. 

Probate Court opened, 236. 
Processions of school-children, 146, 

196. 
Protestant Deaconess Home and Hos- 

pital, 195, 196, 226. 
Protestant Deaconess Society, 195. 
Public Library, 190, 222. 
Public schools, 157, 183, 184, 223 



246 



INDEX 



Railkoads, steam, 193, 194, 221, 236, 237. 

street, 194, 228, 236, 237. 
Rebellion, War of the, 202 et seq. 
Reeve, Dr. J. C, 190. 
Reformed Church, First, 191. 
Regans, Jephtha, 147. 
Reid, Colonel, 98, 99. 
Reid, Major David, 109, 118. 
Raid's Inn, 98, 99, 107, 109, 122, 140. 
Repertory, 99. 
Rike, D. L., 200, 236. 
Roads, 102, 103, 221. 
Robert, Prof. J. A., 196. 

Sabbath-Schooi, Association, 136. 
Sandusky, 139, 194. 
Schenck, Admiral James F., 209. 
Schenck, General Robert C, 108, 157, 

160, 165, 168, 179, 187, 188, 205. 
Schenck, General W. C, 34, 49. 
School convention, 165. 
School enumeration, 222. 
School-houses, public, 169, 222. 
Schools, public, 157, 183, 184, 222. 
church, 184, 226. 
private, 34, 154, 155, 184, 226. 
manual-labor, 155. 
Settlement, the, 21-25, 
Settlers, original, 21, 23, 24. 
Sewers, 197, 228. 
Sheep first brought to Dayton, 33, 

34. 
Sherman, Senator John, quoted, 189. 
Shows, 140. 

Shuey, Rev. W. J., 238. 
Silk manufactory, 160. 
Silkworms, culture of, 173. 
Site of Dayton purchased, 20. 
Slave captured in Dayton, 93, 94. 
Smith, George W., 101, 102, 107. 
Smith, William M., 92, 106. 
Social, cycling, and other clubs, 227. 
Society of Associated Bachelors, 132, 

133. 
Soldiers' Home, 209, 210, 227, 
Soldiers' Monument, 210, 211. 
Soule, Charles, 161, 179. 
Southern Ohio Asylum, 227. 
Spinlng, Judge Isaac, 76, 77, 107, 108. 
Springfield, 19, 168, 236. 
Squier, David, 66, 109. 
St. Clair, Governor Arthur, 20, 29, 40, 

21.5, 216. 



St. Elizabeth Hospital, 195, 226, 227. 

St. Henry's Cemetery, 186. 

St. Joseph's Institute, 226. 

St. Mary's Institute, 226. 

Stage-coaches, 138, 139. 

Stebbins, Colonel, 108. 

Steele, Dr. John, 95, 107, 115, 116, 129, 

190. 
Steele, Judge James, 79, 89, 90, 91, 93, 

106, 107, 108, 121, 122, 126, 141. 
Steele, Miss Mary D., 91. 

History of Dayton, 238. 
Steele, Robert W., 67, 68, 91, 184, 186. 

quoted, 69. 

biographical sketch, 91, 200. 

History of Dayton, 238. 
Steele High School, 184, 222. 
Steele's Dam, 157. 
Stillwater, 221. 
Stites, Major Benjamin, 20. 
Stoddard, Henry, 8.5, 94, 189. 
Stores, early, 104. 
Stout, David, 135, 228. 
Strain, Robert, 131. 
Street improvements, 197, 228. 
Street-paving, 197, 228. 
Street-railways, 194, 228, 236, 237. 
Strong, Lieutenant-Colonel Hiram, 

205, 207. 
Sun Inn, 137. 

Swaynie's Tavern, 153, 173. 
Symmes, John Cleves, 20, 63, 216. 

Tax Commission, 224. 
Taxes, early, 62, 64, 233, 234. 

1894-96, 224. 
Tecumseh, 19, 109. 
Temperance society, 153. 
Tennery, George T., 92. 
Theater, first, 133, 134. 
Thespian Society, 85. 
Thomas, Rev. Thomas E., 76. 
Thompson, Mrs. Samuel, 23, 27. 
Thompson, Samuel, 21, 23, 27. 
Thresher, Ebenezer, 198, 199. 
Thruston, Robert A.. 108, 162. 
Times, 197. 

Trains, passenger, 229, 237. 
Transportation, early, 102, 103, 104, 

105. 
Turnpikes, 168, 169, 170. 
Turpin, James, 75, 76, 184. 
Twightwee villages, 17. 



rNDEX 



247 



Union Bibl.icai> Skminaky, 22(1 
Union Paissenger Station, 2oli. 
United Brettiren Church, First, 191. 
Urbana, 78, 79. 

Vallandigham, Clement L., 188, 

189, 206. 
Van Cleve, Benjamin, 21, 25, 34 el seq., 

.'», 57, 58, 62, 67, 68, 78, 79, 83, 84, 

92, 106, 107, 109, 126. 
quoted, 34, 49, 63, 69. 
"Memoranda," 35, 36. 
biography of, 35 et scq. 
historian of Dayton from 1795 to 

1821, 36. 
Van Cleve, Captain William, 21, 22, 

119, 120. 
Van Cleve, John, 27, 36, 37, 38, 39. 
Van Cleve, John W., 58, 67 et scq., 8-5, 

93, 108, 141, 142, 148, 174, 186. 
quoted, 2.5, 85, 86, 87. 
biography of, 67 et seq. 
historian of Dayton, 67. 

Van Cleve, Mary, 27, 28. 

Venice, plans for a town named, 

20. 
Volks-Zeitung, 198. 

War of 1812, HI, 112, 116 et seq. 
Washington, Fort, 40, 42, 214, 21.i. 
Water-works, 194, 223. 
Wayne, General Anthony, 20, 44. 
Welsh, Dr. James, 92, 97, 106. 



West Dayton, 185. 

Westfall, Cornelius, 83. 

Wheelock, Major Daniel W., 161. 

Whig Glee Club, 76. 

Whiting, Swansey, 8S. 

Whitten, Mary, 57, 58. 

Widows' Home, 195, 227. 

Wight, Collins, 93, 114. 

Wilbur, Rev. Backus, 136. 

Wilkinson, General James, 20, 29, 216. 

Williams, John H., 76, 78. 

Williams, Milo G., 93, 165, 184. 

Wilson, Mrs. June Newcom, .53, 56. 

Winters, J. H., 186. 

Winters, Mrs. J. H., 196. 

Winters, Valentine, 199. 

Wolf Creek, 221. 

Woman's Christian Association, 195, 

226. 
Woman's Literary Club, 196, 227. 
AVomen's literary clubs, 196, 227. 
Wood, General T. J., 211. 
Woodland Cemetery, 71, 72, 186. 
Work -house, 223. 

Xenia, 19, 

Young Men's Christian Associa- 
tion, 195, 226. 
Young Men's Institute, 226. 
Young Women's League, 19-5, 226. 

Zanesville, 78. 



Public Buildiugs, 

A. Court House. 

B. First Presbyterian Church. 

C. Second Preabjterian " 

D. Methodist " 
£. CampbelUte Baptist *' 

F. Union " 

G. Episcopal ** 
H. German Reformed " 
I. Catholic " 
J. Academy. 
K. Free School*House. 
L. 

Manufacturing Establishments 

a. Flouring Mill. 

b. Fulling Mill. 

c. Machine Shop, 
d Turning Lathes. 

e. Miami Cotton Mill. 

f. Flouring Mill, 

g. Clegg'a Cotton Mill and Foundry, 
h. Saw Mill, 
i. Clegs's Cotton Mill. 

el Factory. 
Cooper Cotton Mill. 
Carpet Factory. 
Corn Mill. 
Clock Factory, 
Saw Mill. 




F.\CSIM1LE OF A MAP OF DAYTON, COMPILED FROM THE VARl 

BY JOHN 




PLATS 0>' RECORD, CORRECTED AND COMBINED BY ACTUAL SURVEY, 

AN CLEVE, 1839. 



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